At the turn of the nineteenth century humanity has rapidly escalated into a powerhouse of science, technology, and high definition television. Since the late President John F. Kennedy challenged the world to reach the moon, we have had our eyes set on reaching Mars. With our tunnel vision blocking both our collective heart and mind; it has been difficult to look anywhere else. What if you were informed that we could live on Venus faster than the pipe dream of Mars? And I mean fast -- in both time taken to travel to Venus and in the time it would take to develop the technology to get there.
First, let's cover the distance differences of both Mars and Venus from Earth. Venus is much closer to Earth than Mars is when comparing both from it's closest distance to Earth. Venus is only 38 million kilometers away from Earth where Mars is 54.6 million kilometers away from Earth. This makes traveling to Venus both faster and cheaper than traveling to Mars. These are two incredibly important points in favor of Venus.
Second, let's cover the technology necessary for the mission. The beautiful thing is that we already have most of it. One of the only major problems is the atmosphere of Venus.
Venus is named after the goddess of beauty; this was because it shined the brightest in the night sky back when the Ancients discovered her. One of Venus' problems is that we can't actually reach the ground. Of the two probes we sent to Venus in the 1970s, they lasted no longer than two hours on the ground. Now, this would normally sound like an immense problem; but what if we weren't planning to colonize the ground. Yes, I am talking about floating cities; real life floating cities resting about 30 miles above the planet's insanely pressurized surface.
Venus is so hostile at its ground level because it is the victim of a runaway greenhouse effect. Basically, it got really hot and it's atmosphere started to boil and rise to insane temperatures. It is so hot at the surface that it can melt lead (which is why our probes did not last long). Aside from the runaway greenhouse effect, Venus is also home to the largest amount of volcanoes in the solar system. Sounds like the perfect place to set up shop, right?
Well, the reason it is more plausible to vacation on Venus is because at 30 miles above the surface, the gravity of Venus is just under the gravity of Earth. This is incredibly important because, according to NASA's Planetary Facts Sheet, Venus' gravity rests at 0.907 g., whereas, Mars is only at 0.377 g. w hich is significantly lower than Earth's 1.0 g. gravity.
What do these numbers mean? Well, if we want to live on a planet for any length of time those numbers are imperative. The human body is accustomed to 1 g., which is the gravity we feel every day; it's the reason why pull-ups are impossible for some of us. Our muscles are used to working under the strains of our gravity. So by being placed on a planet with a third the gravity of Earth, our muscles would deteriorate over time. This is the same reason why astronauts aboard the International Space Station have to constantly workout on specialized equipment and are sent home after a year aboard.
Another large problem with Mars is the high amount of radiation on its surface. Because of Mars' terribly thin atmosphere, it becomes a sponge for harmful radiation from our sun. This is not a problem on Venus because of it's thick atmosphere, size, and gravity. At 30 miles above the surface we would gain the same amount of radiation as we would from catching the next red eye to Canada.
How exactly would we make a city float? We understand, now, why Venus is such an attractive place to be; but how will we do it?
NASA has developed the concept called HAVOC -- High Altitude Venus Operational Concept. This brilliant concept actually involves technology that, for the most part, we already have available today. The only real threat for the moment comes with Venus' sulfuric acid in its atmosphere. As of right now, our solar panels wouldn't be able to handle it. Soon, however, with the technology being developed and with a "refinement" in the HAVOC concept; we may finally be able to occupy another planet.
The idea is they would send these "lighter than air" laboratories to Venus where they would be able to safely float at 30 miles above the surface. They would first send robotic missions to test the technologies before sending a two manned team to Venus. This team would be suspended in the atmosphere for 30 days. After this, the two astronauts would leave the balloon on a rocket and make their way back home. You can see a full animation of this process here.
Sadly, in order for this concept to become a reality, NASA needs more money. When I say more money, I mean a lot more. If the budget for NASA was doubled, we may very well have a human colony on Venus in our lifetime. However, that is a different story for another time.
Throughout all of this, I see hope for our species to escape Earth. We must continue outward and reach the stars. It is the dreamers who inspired everyone to look up and the realists who showed everyone that it is possible. We can no longer say or believe that the sky is the limit. I have faith that one day, very soon, humanity will be able to look up and feel as though they are as much a part of the universe as the universe is a part of us.
