'475°C inferno': ISRO’s plan to conquer Venus with Shukrayaan-1 is an engineer's nightmare
Produced by: Mohsin Shaikh
Venus Challenge
The mission to Venus is seen as one of the toughest yet, with 475°C temperatures and crushing atmospheric pressure making it an engineering nightmare.
Toxic Atmosphere
Venus’s dense clouds of carbon dioxide and sulphuric acid are known to corrode most materials rapidly, demanding advanced protective coatings.
Orbital Focus
Shukrayaan-1 is planned to conduct orbital studies, avoiding the harsh surface where past landers survived only for hours.
Communication Issues
Thick clouds are found to disrupt data transmission, while reduced sunlight makes solar power generation less efficient.
Material Demands
Spacecraft for Venus must be designed like deep-sea vessels, with strengthened structures and resistant materials.
Representative pic
Brief Lifespan
Previous missions to Venus’s surface have lasted mere hours due to the combination of heat and atmospheric acidity.
Scientific Goals
Venus’s atmosphere, surface processes, and subsurface layers are to be analyzed to reveal planetary evolution clues.
Climate Lessons
Valuable insights into Venus’s greenhouse effect are expected to help understand climate change on Earth.
Tech Advancement
Shukrayaan-1 is anticipated to inspire innovations in materials science and spacecraft design for future missions.