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#1 2016-03-23 13:19:28

Tom Kalbfus
Banned
Registered: 2006-08-16
Posts: 4,401

Manned Venus flyby mission

Any reason to do this, or is it just an expensive stunt?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHT_UNZWyc4

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#2 2016-03-23 14:18:39

RobS
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From: South Bend, IN
Registered: 2002-01-15
Posts: 1,701
Website

Re: Manned Venus flyby mission

It's like the Mars flyby that has been proposed. It will take a bit less time and less delta-v (it's easier to fly to Venus than to Mars). So it should be cheaper. But it is also less likely to excite the public, which is one of the reasons to do a mission of this sort.

Really nice graphics.

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#3 2016-03-23 22:54:34

Tom Kalbfus
Banned
Registered: 2006-08-16
Posts: 4,401

Re: Manned Venus flyby mission

Its basically a stunt. An astronaut does an EVA and gets his picture taken in front of the planet Venus for the papers to say he was there. For all of that, it looks more expensive that sending a probe there. Doesn't seem to indicate any lander probes that the astronauts can control while they are in the vicinity. Given that lander probes only last a short time on the surface, how long do you think astronauts will be in real time communication with it? A light second is about 300,000 km, so lets define "real time" as less than a second's communication lag time. So how long would the astronauts doing the flyby be within 150,000 km of the planet's surface if they do not slow down? They might be able to control a lander probe in real time for as long as it lasts on the Venusian surface, and make decisions on which rocks to analyze and so forth before the are too far away from the planet. That I think would be the best scientific case for sending them there in the first place. When dealing with short-lived probes, you don't want a 15- minute communications lag between JPL and the probe.

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#4 2016-03-24 19:03:21

SpaceNut
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From: New Hampshire
Registered: 2004-07-22
Posts: 28,750

Re: Manned Venus flyby mission

A fee return flyby might be a stunt but its a good test of a deep space habitat and of its shielding....

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#5 2016-03-25 12:54:03

Tom Kalbfus
Banned
Registered: 2006-08-16
Posts: 4,401

Re: Manned Venus flyby mission

SpaceNut wrote:

A fee return flyby might be a stunt but its a good test of a deep space habitat and of its shielding....

Humans a guinea pigs. NASA used to send chimps into space. At best I think it is half a mission, testing out the hardware that would get astronauts to Venus. I don't know why it goes on past Mars. I guess the problem may be that they lack the fuel to break into Venus orbit, they don't have the shields to aero brake the entire craft, just the capsule, and that is saved for the return to Earth. the capsule could break in Venus's atmosphere, but it would have to separate from the rest of the craft to do that, and then it would have no power other than onboard fuel cells. I think an Orion Capsule would need to have the capability to dip into Venus' atmosphere and slow down enough to go into orbit, and then have maneuvering rockets to get into a low stable Venus orbit from there. the rest of the craft that got them to Venus would be sacrificed or else it would continue on a free return journey to Earth without the crew. The other half of the mission would be another craft waiting in Low Earth orbit, Probably it would be remotely piloted by one of the crewmembers aboard the capsule and dock with it, crew would transfer into the craft, which would have arrived here unmanned, but fully stocked with a number of consumables to sustain the crew for the number of months until the two planets align for the return voyage back to Earth. the only problem is what does the crew do while they are here? They basically function as a remote JPL for real time control of various space probes within the Venusian atmosphere. How many probes could they possibly have, and would they keep them busy for their entire stay? the lander probes would get used up fast, as long duration surface probes are not feasible, they could last for hours and then the environment would destroy them.

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#6 2018-09-18 17:01:13

SpaceNut
Administrator
From: New Hampshire
Registered: 2004-07-22
Posts: 28,750

Re: Manned Venus flyby mission

Bump why a mission to venus is hard....

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