Mission Architecture: Venus Colony

 

Taking advantage the Venusian atmosphere, a lifting envelope can be filed with 78% Nitrogen and 20% Oxygen to be used to both float a habitat and provide an expansive volume for crew to live. 

 

The aim of this project is to explore human centered architectural options presented by the Venusian atmosphere and, by proxy, bring public attention back to space travel by emphasizing the purpose of having a human out on the frontier, not in an aluminum can. Parking a work derrick at 54 km (+/- 4 km) above the surface of Venus provides environment where this can be achieved. Currently, the majority of programs and projects dictate a robust pressure vessel (aluminum can) to provide habitable volume for people. As demonstrated by the Vega probes[1], there is just over 1 bar at 40oC at an elevation of 50 km on Venus and this tapers off to .1 bar at -13oC at 67 km. This alone sets the environment, and therefore the design solutions, apart.

A manned work derrick suspended on the surface of the cloud deck is the spot for humanity’s first step into the solar system. The planet’s surface is extremely hostile, at temperatures exceeding 450oC  and a 96.5% CO2 atmosphere at 93 bar, any surface operations will have to be extremely hardy [2]. The winds circle the planet in 4 days, reaching speeds of 360 kph at the target altitude and these winds will scour the surface of the habitat with sulfuric acid. The demands on the habitat are not lessened by being in atmosphere, they are just different. Probes in this environment have only lasted two days, while landers, a maximum of 103 minutes. A current proposal, Venera D, has plans to survive for 24 hours on the surface[2]. This is a significant amount of effort for minutes or hours worth of science, putting a work derrick in situ will dramatically increase the length and thereby, the effectiveness of research. The option to return to a servicing dock, probes and drones can conduct sorties to varying layers of the atmosphere, powered by the sun for above cloud deck operations and by battery/methane rockets for deep dives to skim the surface. After each flight a crew can service the drones and send them back out. This allows the probes time to cool off, refuel/charge and be serviced.

The abundant sunlight, CO2, and sulfuric acid will aid in necessary ISRU advancement. The scope of this project will stop with a single derrick, however, it is just the foothold to the planet. Creating robust Methane and sustainable food production will limit the dependence on Earth. However, much more research will have to be done on producing compounds for future construction.

Venus exploration and exploitation.

  • Induced magnetosphere (does provide radiation protection to crews)

  • ISRU - Methane and breathable air

  • How did the atmosphere form?

  • What is up with the weather?

  • What can be done to the atmosphere, terraforming?

  • Test bed for AutoPilot capabilities

  • Advancement in atmospheric analysis

Sending people to a floating maintenance rig on Venus will extend the life of all science operations involving the planet and create a living lab in long duration habitat design that will be unique. It will provide work for the people who are there, while promoting the frontier lifestyle: to go out and stake a claim for humanity.

The scope of this project includes:

  • ConOps for step one (Manned work derrick)

  • Habitat

  • Lifting envelope

  • ISRU

  • Drone Servicing bay

  • Drone/lander options

  • Crew rotation schedules