Heavy Metal Frost on Highlands of Venus?

deglr6328 writes "The BBC is reporting that a paper published in the journal Icarus, suggests that the highlands of Venus are covered by a layer of Lead and Bismuth frost. The authors of the paper were looking for a way to explain the anomalous high reflectivity (and corresponding low emissivity) shown at high altitudes in synthetic aperture radar images sent back by the Magellan probe in the early 90's. The study concludes that Venus's lowlands are hot enough (~850F) to partially vaporize these metals into a mist which then condenses back out of the atmosphere to a solid on the surface of the cooler Venusian highlands."

Comments

Now all we need is a space elevator

[G4from128k]

Add a cheap means of hoisting the goodies from the surface and we have the first interplanetary mining operation. The lead might be especially valuable in space for radiation sheilding. I wonder what other yummy metals (arsenic, gallium, indium, etc.) might be found on the surface? Perhaps an orbital station around Venus might be a good for manufacturing semiconductors or superconductors from freely available materials from the surface.

Only minor detail ....creating an elevator cable that can handle the high temperatures.

Rad.

[Elwood P Dowd]

Bismuth is pretty.

That's a picture of Bismuth that we can grow in labs. I wonder if the atmosphere of Venus produces samples that are even more interesting.