back to article Aerobot designed for hell-world Venus first braves something worse: Nevada

Scientists have successfully launched a prototype aerial robotic balloon 4,000 feet high over a desert in Nevada to test whether it could one day be sent on a space mission to roam Venus' clouds. The 2030s have already been heralded as the "decade of Venus". Space agencies NASA and ESA promised to fund three different science …

  1. the spectacularly refined chap

    It would carry a range of instruments capable of detecting earthquakes...

    Interesting. Send a probe all the way to Venus to monitor seismic activity on the lump of rock we're standing on.

  2. Potemkine! Silver badge

    Are they mimicking the Vega missions?

    == Bring us Dabbsy back! ==

  3. Surreal Estate

    earthquakes

    I suppose "seismic activity" would have been a better term. Besides, "venusquakes" seems mildly pornographic...

    1. David 132 Silver badge
      Happy

      Re: earthquakes

      Venusquakes. She also dukenukems and occasionally fortnites, too.

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Pint

    Up, up and away in my beautiful balloon

    Finally, hopefully, a Venus probe that might last more than a few minutes. Float among the stars together, boffins.

  5. Kev99 Silver badge

    If they want to test an orbiter trying to see the surface of Venus, just fly it over Los Angeles or Phoenix.

  6. Zebo-the-Fat

    You spelt sulphuric wrong!

    1. the spectacularly refined chap

      You spelt sulphuric wrong!

      Unfortunately not. IUPAC claim dibs on naming these things and they decided it is sulfur. On the flip side the Yanks have to acknowledge that aluminium is correct.

      1. Apollo-Soyuz 1975
        Trollface

        Separated by a common tongue

        We (& Canadians) will recognize aluminium as soon the rest of the world recognize platinium and molybdenium.

        Or perhaps we all should revert to the original “alumium?”

        1. MachDiamond Silver badge

          Re: Separated by a common tongue

          "Or perhaps we all should revert to the original “alumium?”"

          Or both, I don't really care that much.

      2. vtcodger Silver badge

        Aluminium?

        "On the flip side the Yanks have to acknowledge that aluminium is correct."

        To inject a bit of Strine -- Not bloody likely.

        One can only assume that your British penchant for injecting random vowels where they are clearly not needed is due to the proximity of France. It has long been believed that excess vowels -- abundant in France -- assemble on the beaches of Brittany and Normandy on moonless nights in Summer and are carried off by the tide to afflict victims worldwide.

        Sulphur? Sure. We yanks have never been all that certain about that one. But Aluminium? Never.

      3. dajames

        Unfortunately not. IUPAC claim dibs on naming these things and they decided it is sulfur.

        Sadly for them, "dibs" cannot be claimed, only awarded. Most of the world will continue to spell Sulphur/Sulfur in the way that they have always spelt it, regardless of the idiocy spouted by IUPAC.

        Can you imagine the howls from the Academie Française if IUPAC tried to stop them spelling it Soufre?

        IUPAC accept that Aluminium/Aluminum (Damn but it's hard to type that the way my fingers aren't used to!) may be spelt either way, why can they not do the same for Sulphur?

    2. dajames

      You spelt sulphuric wrong!

      You spelt "wrongly" wrong ... er ... wrongly!

  7. Lordrobot

    Scientific Welfare only Gov can fly this idea up the flag pole

    Essentially this is a small Hindenberg...

    "If the aerobot balloon is to fly to Venus one day, NASA will have to continue funding the project and select a proposal outlining how the device can be sent and used in space. "We're anticipating an upcoming call for missions late next year, so we're keeping our fingers crossed," he said."

    Better idea. I understand there is a Rocket club in Scotland that might want to float a project like this... Literally

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Scientific Welfare only Gov can fly this idea up the flag pole

      Molten Led Zeppelin?

    2. Jimmy2Cows Silver badge

      Re: Essentially this is a small Hindenberg...

      Except that it is almost entirely unlike a small Hindenburg in size, shape, construction, materials and lifting gas. But apart from those minor details...

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