Is a Day Trip on Venus Possible? Scientists Think So

Venus is a hellscape where space landers go to die. But a new battery could change all that.

Transcript

00:00Venus. It's not exactly a cakewalk in the realm of space exploration. Crushing atmospheric

00:10pressures, lead-melting temperatures, and highly corrosive gases make an extended stay

00:16all but impossible. Past visits to the second rock from the sun, such as the Soviet Venera

00:21missions lasted only two hours. A new battery developed by NASA may allow a lander to operate

00:27in the harsh temperatures for an entire Venus solar day. In other words, around 120 Earth

00:33days, Universe Today reports. Whereas Mars landers are solar-powered, batteries seem

00:39to be the ticket on Venus due to its thick atmosphere. Thermal batteries could actually

00:44leverage the planet's atmospheric conditions and continue to work without the need for

00:48pyrotechnics or thermal insulation. The technology based on short-lived thermal battery systems

00:54used for powering smart missiles is part of NASA's project to develop a small Venus

00:59lander named the Long-Lived In-Situ Solar System Explorer, and could give us a new lease

01:06on space exploration throughout the solar system.