Comment by photochemsyn | Hacker News Reader

Comment by photochemsyn | Hacker News Reader

Parent Full thread

Sputnik 2.0

It's a serious warning that the U.S. is dangerously behind China when it comes to balloon technology. Note also, balloons are one way of colonizing Venus (floating high in the atmosphere without having to approach the dangerously hot surface).

Clearly we need a Venus Balloon Program to show who's the technological leader on this planet, just like with the Apollo Mission. Mars is for wimps, real explorers go to Venus! Now's let's put $50 billion into it. The prototype is already here (2022):

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/jpls-venus-aerial-robotic-ball...

[edit: to be clear I am absolutely not joking. Spending huge sums of money on space exploration is a much better use of government funds than getting involved in ground wars in Asia]

The Venusian zeppelin mission is awesome; the upper atmosphere there is probably the most earthlike environment in the Solar System. Only the acid clouds prevent the crew from just being able to open the windows and sit around drinking beer in a medical oxygen mask and swimsuit.

> Only the acid clouds prevent the crew from just being able to open the windows and sit around drinking beer in a medical oxygen mask and swimsuit.

You just ruined Venus for me. Thanks.

> the U.S. is dangerously behind China when it comes to balloon technology.

Mr. President, we must not allow a balloon gap!

chipmunk voice

*gentlemen! You can’t fight here! This is the war room!

Sorry but I find “ that the U.S. is dangerously behind” laughable. A ballon around so your conclusion is to draw conclusions on the advances of nation states.

The US has much better spy tech than balloons, which are really obvious and easily shot down as demonstrated today.

Not being a leader in this tech is not a bad thing IMO. And earth balloons don't translate to venusian ones.

Ps would you really be happy living in zeppelin city knowing a leak would drop you into acid inferno?

"Spending huge sums of money on space exploration is a much better use of government funds than getting involved in ground wars in Asia"

What if you are able to save tens of thousands of human lives by getting involved in that ground war?

It's going to cost hundreds of thousands or millions, won't it?

Reply on news.ycombinator.com