Our Universe is big, and even that is an understatement. It would take thousands upon thousands of years just to explore our own galaxy. Beyond ours are millions if not billions or trillions of other galaxies waiting to be explored. For now though, our best course of action seems to be to explore our own personal solar system. Although this continues to prove difficult to accomplish. Why? Well look no forward than our neighboring planet and what's considered as "Earth's Twin" Venus!

You think with a nickname like that it be relatively simple to land on. That part has been pretty much nailed down but the real dilema is attempting to have the spacecrafts continuing functionallity on the surface. According to the article "The Challenge of Exploring Venus," it states that: "A thick atmosphere of almost 97 percent carbon dioxide blankets Venus. Even more challenging are the clouds of highly corrosive sulfuric acid in Venus' atmosphere. On the planet's surface, temperatures average over 800 degrees Fahrenheit, and the the atmospheric pressure is 90 times greater than what we experience on our own planet." (Para. 3) With a description like that, It definetly wouldn't be the ideal vacation destination, let alone for a single person to stand on. Even for a spacecraft it's a brutal environment. To put it in perspective, the article states: "Such an evironment would crush even a submarine accustomed to diving in the deepest parts of our oceans and would liqufiy many metals." (Para.3) I think you can understand why the average life expectancy of a probe is so little.

Why do we continue to explore it though, well scientists predict that at one point Venus could have been a sutiable spot to sustain life. The article states: "Today, Venus still has some features that are analogous to those on Earth. The planet has a surface of rocky sediment and includes familar features such as valleys, mountains and craters." (Para.4) Though the article doesn't state this, Keep in mind that for valley's and mountains to form you'd need some sort of body of moving liquid to erode and shape it's surface. Another big factor is being it's proximity, the article states that: "Venus is the closest planet to Earth in terms of density and size, and occasionally the closest in distance too. Earth, Venus, and Mars, our other planetary neighbor, orbit the sun at different speeds. These differences in speed mean that we are sometimes closer to Mars and other times to Venus." (Para. 2) This proves to be a redeeming quality this strategy since a probe or even manned mission wouldn't cost nearly as much (regarding fuel) and would be rather easy to return home from.

In actuallity though, How do we purpose to send people there. We'll we're most likely going to use a tactic that seems almost larger than life. The article purposes that: "Imagine a blimp-like vehicle hovering 30 or so miles above the roiling Venusian land. Just as our jet airplans travel at a higher altitude to fly over many storms, a vehicle hovering over Venus would avoid the unfriendly ground conditions by staying up and out of their way." (Para. 5) This seems absolutley ridiculous but based on research it could prove to be a viable option. Although it's the safest way to attempt a manned mission to Venus, it's not without its flaws. According to the article: "temperatures would still be toasty at around 170 degrees Fahrenheit, but the air pressure would be close to that of sea level on Earth." (Para.5) regarding the climate on the ground though, I think 170 degrees Fahrenheit would be considered a saving grace from God.

Only time will tell what mysteries lie beneath the surface of Venus' foggy and dense atmosphere. As technology and hospitalty advances, we may soon be able to even attempt a manned mission. One can dream but it seems that the future continues to be ever the more promising as we will begin to learn more and more about our troublesome sister planet.