> A mission that merely orbited Venus and returned without attempting to muck about with airships might be an intermediate step on the way to Mars. I think tha

> A mission that merely orbited Venus and returned without attempting to muck about with airships might be an intermediate step on the way to Mars. I think that's exactly what the article is arguing for. The part about manned airships is just a whimsical aside to the much safer, entirely feasible, and nearly as scientifically valuable prospect of using unmanned balloons.