Venus photographed by Mariner 10 as it passed, being gravity assisted by the planet on its journey. 7&8 February 1974.
Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
“…the evening star, the morning star, or the shepherd’s star–has never failed to attract the rapturous admiration of the most indifferent observers…”
Jules Verne’s “Venus in Perilous Proximity”
| Venus factfile | |
|---|---|
| Position from the sun | 2nd planet |
| Diameter | 12,100 km |
| Distance from sun | 108,210,000 km |
| Day length | 243 days |
| Year length | 224 days |
| Number of moons | 0 |
| Surface temperature | 462 °C |
| Surface gravity | 8.87 m/s2 |
| Atmosphere | Carbon dioxide, nitrogen Sulfuric acid clouds |
Fun fact: Venus rotates the opposite way to most planets – the Sun rises in the west and sets in the east!
This image was taken by looking only at ultraviolet light.
Image credit: L. Esposito (University of Colorado, Boulder), and NASA/ESA
Activity
Draw a picture of your design for a base for astronauts to live on Venus.
Remember all the problems that Tanno and Iguda had when they visited Venus: the hot temperatures and pressures, and the thick atmosphere, including sulfuric acid clouds. It also has volcanoes at the surface, which they missed as they didn’t land their spaceship, the Widget.
Label your picture to explain what features your base has to help overcome those problems.
