We Could go to Venus Today

[Ittiz]

we could go to Venus today but getting there isn't the issue it's getting back. You can't get any resources from the surface and you need a rocket almost as powerful as a rocket on Earth to get back. Which means you need to bring everything with you! Seems difficult to me.

 

[rod]

Are we talking about a robotic mission or astronauts landing on Venus? Difficult is correct when I consider Venus atmosphere some 100 earth atmospheres and the surface temperature. The Russians long ago landed a Venus probe-it did not last very long on the surface.

 

[FredM]

Venus will be the 3Dimensional spaceport for the entire Solar System within 2-3 decades.
Think! Coming in from a mission to Jupiter's Moons on an express path and entering Earth's atmosphere? You'd burn to a crisp!
Now, gently enter Venus' gravity well and gradually use its thick clouds for aerobraking you could slow to a convenient Venusian orbital pattern or boost to an Earth rendezvous orbit.

What all this means is that Venus WILL be the 'entry-port' for this entire Solar System, Just like JFK is for the entire USA.

Venus has a BIG future in this human-dominated Solar System and eventually, all this activity will render Venus' cloud layers 'Earth-quality' habitable.