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Europe Goes To Venus; Mars Comes to Us

Posted by michael on from the frequent-flyer-miles dept.

JamesO writes "The BBC says that the ESA is going to Venus, reusing the Mars Express design. Also here. Launch seems to be expected in 2005." And knownsense writes "Space.com is reporting that Mars is coming to closer to Earth. It will be closer by around 191 million miles and will end up 85 times brighter about August next year. This apparently is the first time it's been this close since the Neanderthals."

4 of 172 comments (clear)

  1. Very Welcome News... by trotski · · Score: 3, Interesting

    This is very welcome news!

    Just the other day I was talking to a friend about why there is so much more interest in Mars than there is in Venus. There are plenty of difficult questions that more missions to Venus could answer.

    I'm very interested in what the results of this mission well be, there is after all so much to learn.

    Of course, we need an obligatory Simpsons quote here:

    "mmmmmmm..... gummie Venus"

    --

    "Entropy is the bad-guy, and he is everywhere"
    1. Re:Very Welcome News... by Pyromage · · Score: 3, Interesting

      "she'll turn you into a cinder"

      Sounds like someone I know.

      But seriously, this is why it is worth doing! Nothing ever got done by taking the easy way out! While I'm all for the Mars trip, and it probably should be first, I think we must go to Venus, because there is much there to learn, and because it is hard. The moon was hard once, and we did it. We can do it again!

      I know we won't get there soon, but I want to see us accomplish this by the time I die.

      The thing with Mars is that we know how to do it: We make a big enough ship with enough fuel to get there and back (Which we can do, it'd just be a lot). You put some hydroponics on board. It's tech we have.

      Venus would require the same, and a lot more to stay alive there. It's truly a new frontier; Mars is merely a barren one. There is something romantic about Mars, but Venus' environment will fight tooth and nail to keep us away from her.

      I don't know about you guys, but that makes me wonder that much more what color her panties are.

  2. Not much point right now... by stefanlasiewski · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Well, there's not much point in sending humans to Venus right now.

    What would humans do in orbit around Venus that can't be done from a remote station here on earth?
    "Hello Mission Control, the Venesian atmosphere is cloudy, and I cannot see a thing. I am about to launch the Venus probe with it's IR/UV/Radio-scannerthingamagig. BTW, I am still stuck in this tin can. I haven't experienced gravity in over a year, and my bones are disintigrating. The air is stale, the food is boring and I am about to go crazy."

    Before you even start thinking about sending someone to another planet, there's a zillion other things to think about first. How to build a ship, how to feed the crew, what are the long term effects of space travel, etc. We still have a ways to go. A Satellite could go there now.

    Remove satellites can do it far cheaper then a manned mission. If we're going to send humans anywhere, let send them someplace where they could acually walk.

    --
    "Can of worms? The can is open... the worms are everywhere."
  3. Invasion? by codexus · · Score: 3, Interesting

    This apparently is the first time it's been this close since the Neanderthals.

    So that's the best time for the martians to launch their invasion fleet?

    --
    True warriors use the Klingon Google