NASA Eyes 30-Mile Venus Airships as 30%-50% Cheaper Crewed Alternative to Mars
Updated
Updated · 19FortyFive · Jun 23
NASA Eyes 30-Mile Venus Airships as 30%-50% Cheaper Crewed Alternative to Mars
1 articles · Updated · 19FortyFive · Jun 23
Summary
30 miles above Venus, NASA’s HAVOC concept would place astronauts in airships where pressure is near Earth’s and temperatures run about 68-86F, avoiding the planet’s 475C surface.
30%-50% shorter round trips than Mars could cut food, water, oxygen and radiation-shielding needs, while lower orbital energy and roughly four times more solar power could reduce launch and propulsion costs.
Breathable-air balloons would generate lift in Venus’s upper atmosphere, and the dense atmosphere would provide more radiation protection than Mars, where crews would need heavier shielding and habitats.
90-times-Earth surface pressure and corrosive acid rain still pose major engineering risks, including specialized materials and the challenge of deploying a large airship into the atmosphere at about 16,000 mph.
NASA backers argue the upper atmosphere of Venus could be a more feasible first human deep-space destination than Mars, offering climate science gains as well as a nearer-term crewed mission target.