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Now, landing on Venus...
It's not that it's impossible, it's just very hard and it implies a whole set of engineering problems vastly different from what we have with the Moon or Mars. First of all, we've got the fact that we're moving towards the inner Solar Sytem as opposed to the outer, so we're in for some nice speed on arrival. Nothing aerobraking can't handle but it may come back to haunt us when we're ready to get back to the Blue Marble.
Then, as opposed to the Moon with no atmosphere and Mars with a very thin one, Venus has an atmosphere and is not afraid at all to use it. Let's forget any fancy LMs here, what we'd need would be a cross between an airship and a bathyscaph. Pressure-wise, anything that can snap pretty pictures of the Titanic (minus Kate Winslet) should be able to withstand the pressure on the surface of Venus.
Now, heat, that's another matter. The surface of Venus makes Mordor look like St Moritz by comparison. How do you get rid of the heat? It should be possible to build a vessel able to withstand 500+ °C, but keeping a livable environment within is another matter...
As for stepping on the surface... Insulated shoes anyone?
It's not that it's impossible, it's just very hard and it implies a whole set of engineering problems vastly different from what we have with the Moon or Mars. First of all, we've got the fact that we're moving towards the inner Solar Sytem as opposed to the outer, so we're in for some nice speed on arrival. Nothing aerobraking can't handle but it may come back to haunt us when we're ready to get back to the Blue Marble.
Then, as opposed to the Moon with no atmosphere and Mars with a very thin one, Venus has an atmosphere and is not afraid at all to use it. Let's forget any fancy LMs here, what we'd need would be a cross between an airship and a bathyscaph. Pressure-wise, anything that can snap pretty pictures of the Titanic (minus Kate Winslet) should be able to withstand the pressure on the surface of Venus.
Now, heat, that's another matter. The surface of Venus makes Mordor look like St Moritz by comparison. How do you get rid of the heat? It should be possible to build a vessel able to withstand 500+ °C, but keeping a livable environment within is another matter...
As for stepping on the surface... Insulated shoes anyone?