Lando conned somebody out of it

[Metryq]

NASA wants to build a floating city above the clouds of Venus

I think a Moon base would be better practice for a manned Mars expedition. Putzing around Venus in a zeppelin doesn't sound very attractive to me. (Terrifying, perhaps.) And I can see setting up a cloud city, if advanced robotic probes demonstrated a viable reason for sending people there.

 

[bbjeg]

I guess Venus would have more resources to work with. Besides, Lando will get a bad trade, the city will lack tons of handrails.

 

[JarodRussell]

Given that Venus' gravity is about 90% of Earth's gravity, it would be easy to test it here first.

 

[Metryq]

Given that Venus' gravity is about 90% of Earth's gravity, it would be easy to test it here first.

The dirigible, sure. But the denser atmosphere on Venus would give the city much more buoyancy.

Helium wouldn't work on Mars. That's why the locals use the "eighth ray." (Or was it the ninth? Been a while since I read those.)

 

[JES]

Terrifying indeed. If you slip over a railing, you're gonna be crushed to death, or burn, if the fall doesn't mercifully kill you first. I don't imagine it'll be like Bespin, where you'll be able to go outside without some sort of breathing apparatus, even above those corrosive, thick clouds.

I don't see this becoming a tourist's attraction, that's for sure. And even if it was, I'd see no reason to go. If you ever wanted an observatory while attempting to terraform however, this is one way to do it.

 

[Dryson]

HAVOC Blimp Ships and Venus

NASA outlines the notion of exploring Venus with manned HAVOC ‘blimps’

http://www.hexapolis.com/2014/12/21...enus-manned-havoc-blimps/?fdx_switcher=mobile

Could these same types of blimp ships be used on planets in the solar system where heavy atmospheres would allow their use in exploring the planet?

 

[Mary Ann]

Dryson, I have moved your post to this thread as it discusses the same topic.

 

[publiusr]

Re: HAVOC Blimp Ships and Venus

NASA outlines the notion of exploring Venus with manned HAVOC ‘blimps’

http://www.hexapolis.com/2014/12/21...enus-manned-havoc-blimps/?fdx_switcher=mobile

Could these same types of blimp ships be used on planets in the solar system where heavy atmospheres would allow their use in exploring the planet?

That is a nice site

Scroll down here, and you see something like the Fesarius
http://www.hexapolis.com/2014/12/25...ic-version-incandescent-lamp-might-efficient/

Very nice wallpaper
cityscape http://www.hexapolis.com/2014/12/25...wcase-cloud-cutting-heights-dubai-skycrapers/

 

[Dukhat]

What exactly would a manned blimp hovering over Venus's clouds be able to do that an unmanned orbiting probe couldn't do? Besides seeing a bunch of clouds with the naked eye, that is?

 

[publiusr]

Now I hear a lot about there being perhaps, a type of metal frost on some of the mountains:

http://www.americaspace.com/?p=74121

If so, this might be an easy way to get metals in a pre-refined state.

With asteroids, the gravity well is all but nonexistent--but you have a lot of refining to do.

 

[CorporalCaptain]

Neat.