4 ms·

venus also has a 93 times the pressure at the surface, and a temperature of 500 deg c ( that's when steel becomes red hot) in a sulphuric acid fog cloud. So unl

venus also has a 93 times the pressure at the surface, and a temperature of 500 deg c ( that's when steel becomes red hot) in a sulphuric acid fog cloud. So unless elon musk is superman it is unlikely that a solar plant will ever be made on the venus surface.

trhway 12y ago
this is why parent mentioned blimps - this is how human installations will exist there
- mikeash 12y ago
  To elaborate, there's a certain altitude on Venus where both the temperature and pressure are like what we're used to on Earth. The air isn't breathable, but you don't need pressurization or temperature control, just breathing gas. Or if you're sending a robot, not even that.
  - aruggirello 12y ago
    Did anybody mention Venus breeze? It seems Venusians are well aware of Elon Musk's plans and actively preparing for our arrival: http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Venus_Express/The_fast_winds_of_Venus_are_getting_faster http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Venus_Expres...
- jboggan 12y ago
  Exactly. Building a blimp for something analogous to Earth atmospheric conditions wouldn't be terribly challenging from an engineering perspective. Getting the fuel into Venus orbit in a packaged form would be highly desirable though, now I'm thinking about docking a rocket with a blimp. I guess if you can hover a rocket to land on a flat surface you can hover it up to mate with the bottom of a floating factory platform. Cool.
- kashkhan 12y ago
  do a blimp with an area measured in sq km is a mean feat. Also venus is in a worse gravitational well position than earth so even if you could make gigawatts of power there it would mostly get wasted getting up outside. And that is after you get past the 1.73% efficiency of this process. icy/carbonaceous Asteroids on the other hand in the same orbit would be gold.

4 ms·

venus also has a 93 times the pressure at the surface, and a temperature of 500 deg c ( that's when steel becomes red hot) in a sulphuric acid fog cloud. So unl

by kashkhan 12y ago

trhway 12y ago
this is why parent mentioned blimps - this is how human installations will exist there
- mikeash 12y ago
  To elaborate, there's a certain altitude on Venus where both the temperature and pressure are like what we're used to on Earth. The air isn't breathable, but you don't need pressurization or temperature control, just breathing gas. Or if you're sending a robot, not even that.
  - aruggirello 12y ago
    Did anybody mention Venus breeze? It seems Venusians are well aware of Elon Musk's plans and actively preparing for our arrival: http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Venus_Express/The_fast_winds_of_Venus_are_getting_faster http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Venus_Expres...
- jboggan 12y ago
  Exactly. Building a blimp for something analogous to Earth atmospheric conditions wouldn't be terribly challenging from an engineering perspective. Getting the fuel into Venus orbit in a packaged form would be highly desirable though, now I'm thinking about docking a rocket with a blimp. I guess if you can hover a rocket to land on a flat surface you can hover it up to mate with the bottom of a floating factory platform. Cool.
- kashkhan 12y ago
  do a blimp with an area measured in sq km is a mean feat. Also venus is in a worse gravitational well position than earth so even if you could make gigawatts of power there it would mostly get wasted getting up outside. And that is after you get past the 1.73% efficiency of this process. icy/carbonaceous Asteroids on the other hand in the same orbit would be gold.