Soviet Venus Images (2004) • Hacker News Board

Re: Soviet Venus Images (2004)

#31

Post by belter » Sun, Jul 04, 2021, 2:10 PM UTC

cletus wrote: post #15

It's wild we have any images of the surface of Venus at all given how hostile Venus is. Given how hostile it is, it seems unlikely we'll go back anytime soon. These images were really a product of the Cold War where the US focused on Mars. It's worth noting that Venus is still probably a better terraforming target than Mars [1]. This romantic notion of Mars has rooted itself deeply at this point (eg with Elon Musk) b…

We should not have ignored Venus. Its easier to get to than Mars and the top of the atmosphere has reasonable temperatures. Why would a certain type of life would not be possible under 400 C or acid sulfuric environments ?

It might be very different from what we have on Earth, but is there anything specific to Venus current environment that makes us believe it is not possible, with the exception it would be very, very, different from what we have on Earth ?

I find the Venus images more interesting than Mars. Even more surprising, 30 years ago the Russians were flying balloons for days on Venus atmosphere !

"Soviet Balloon Probes May Have Seen Rain on Venus"

https://www.wired.com/2013/04/vega-venus-rain/

"The two 3.5-m-diameter balloons floated for nearly two days in the Venusian atmosphere around 55 km above the surface. Unlike the hostile terrain below, the cloud layers at this height are a veritable wonderland. Temperature and pressure are comparable to Earth’s average and there is ample sunlight streaming in from above. If not for the sulfuric acid clouds and hurricane-force winds, the atmosphere of Venus would be a comfortable living space."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vega_program

Re: Soviet Venus Images (2004)

#32

Post by anonymousiam » Sun, Jul 04, 2021, 2:10 PM UTC

Not a Soviet mission, but Magellan, built by Hughes Space & Communications Group in the 1980s, did an extensive survey of the surface of Venus using RADAR.

https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/magellan/in-depth/

Edit: The Wikipedia page says; "The spacecraft was designed and built by the Martin Marietta Company,[5] and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) managed the mission for NASA." It has no mention of Hughes other than partial credit under "Manufacturer". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magellan_(spacecraft)

Hughes built the Synthetic Aperture RADAR payload.

Re: Soviet Venus Images (2004)

#33

Post by eloff » Sun, Jul 04, 2021, 2:18 PM UTC

cletus wrote: post #15

It's wild we have any images of the surface of Venus at all given how hostile Venus is. Given how hostile it is, it seems unlikely we'll go back anytime soon. These images were really a product of the Cold War where the US focused on Mars. It's worth noting that Venus is still probably a better terraforming target than Mars [1]. This romantic notion of Mars has rooted itself deeply at this point (eg with Elon Musk) b…

Also while life on the surface of Venus is extremely hostile, it's possible to build floating stations in the atmosphere because it's so much more dense than earth's. High enough in the atmosphere the pressures, temperatures, and solar radiation would be reasonable. It's harder than floating a ship on water, but easier than doing airships on earth.

I'm not sure what that gains us over just having a habitat in orbit though.

Colonizing other planets doesn't make much sense to begin with yet. We don't even colonize Antarctica, and it's a paradise compared to mars.

I'm more interested in setting up industry and habitats in earth orbit. Close enough for low latency internet, and trips measured in hours, but far enough to allow asteroid mining, 24/7 solar, manufacturing and refueling largely outside of earth's gravity well. Plus if something goes wrong you can have escape pods that return to earth. Having a strong space industry like that is also the best protection from potential asteroid impacts.

Re: Soviet Venus Images (2004)

#34

Post by pmlnr » Sun, Jul 04, 2021, 2:27 PM UTC

skhr0680 wrote: post #30

pmlnr wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> a TV that can watch any TV program or movie ever filmed > a library with every book LOL. Reality wants a word with it's licenses and DMCA-s.

Hey, who said anything about paying?

It's not just the question of paying. There are so many movies, series, etc, especially dubbed ones, that only exist in closed, offline archives, and licensing prevents them from being digitalised at all.

Re: Soviet Venus Images (2004)

#35

Post by matheusmoreira » Sun, Jul 04, 2021, 2:35 PM UTC

technologia wrote: post #24

cletus wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If we're talking about what humanity's future off Earth might look like, it's actually highly unlikely that it's on planets at all, given how hostile such places are, the huge energy costs of entering and leaving gravity wells and how inefficient planets are at creating living area per unit mass. Orbital habitats using spin gravity seem way more likely with places like the Moon and Mercury being the source for the re…

Suddenly not so much Star Wars as much as it is Gundam :p

The people who remain on Earth do nothing but pollute it, because their souls are weighed down by gravity!

Re: Soviet Venus Images (2004)

#36

Post by loloquwowndueo » Sun, Jul 04, 2021, 2:37 PM UTC

ansgri wrote: post #25

skhr0680 wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’m imagining talking to a person in 1971 and saying one of these things about the future is true and one is a lie: In 50 years, even people in the worlds poorest countries will have be able to send a letter that arrives instantly to any place in the world, have a color camera and video camera that can take almost unlimited photos and that you can view immediately and send to your friends instantly, a TV that can wat…

You’d better add more details to the second option to make it fair, there’s a cognitive bias that leads to a more detailed option being more believable.

The first option while more detailed focused entirely on advances in computing and digital signal processing; this was mostly unknown to laypeople in the seventies. So despite the level of detail, it’s likely that random people on the street would have considered the second option more likely / true, since the space race and Cold War were front-page news every day.

Re: Soviet Venus Images (2004)

#37

Post by loloquwowndueo » Sun, Jul 04, 2021, 2:40 PM UTC

sixothree wrote: post #14

42droids wrote: post #2

Absolutely fascinating. The technology that already existed in the 60’s and 70’s is mind boggling. Also, there is something really exciting about looking at pictures of an alien planet. :)

I might be wrong (I hope I am), but these are the only pictures I know of the surface of Venus. They really are incredible.

You are not wrong. Only two Venera probes landed and transmitted pictures during a limited time window before succumbing to the harsh conditions. (Other probes did land and send data but it was scientific measurements, not pictures).

Re: Soviet Venus Images (2004)

#38

Post by ethbr0 » Sun, Jul 04, 2021, 2:46 PM UTC

cletus wrote: post #15

It's wild we have any images of the surface of Venus at all given how hostile Venus is. Given how hostile it is, it seems unlikely we'll go back anytime soon. These images were really a product of the Cold War where the US focused on Mars. It's worth noting that Venus is still probably a better terraforming target than Mars [1]. This romantic notion of Mars has rooted itself deeply at this point (eg with Elon Musk) b…

> Given how hostile it is, it seems unlikely we'll go back anytime soon

NASA heard your July 4th plea, and sees you Discovery Mission 15 (VERITAS) and 16 (DAVINCI+). Targeted to launch in 2028 and 2029/30 respectively.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discovery_Program

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/VERITAS_(spacecraft)

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/DAVINCI%2B

Re: Soviet Venus Images (2004)

#39

Post by nomdep » Sun, Jul 04, 2021, 2:54 PM UTC

pmlnr wrote: post #34

skhr0680 wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hey, who said anything about paying?

It's not just the question of paying. There are so many movies, series, etc, especially dubbed ones, that only exist in closed, offline archives, and licensing prevents them from being digitalised at all.

Even blockbuster movies. Does anyone remember the movie “Cocoon”? Is impossible to watch it now unless you can find it in an old VHS tape

Re: Soviet Venus Images (2004)

#40

Post by audiometry » Sun, Jul 04, 2021, 3:19 PM UTC

Why did USSR pursue Venus? Surely a far harder target for success than Mars. (At least given the nasty planetary conditions). Imagine how cool it would be to have worked on something that landed on Venus. Whew.