Wednesday, December 24, 2025

Sample Retrieval from Venus by Plane

I would like to propose a method to retrieve Venus’s ground samples from a plane. Initially, the plane would parachute a rover to the ground. The rover, controlled by the people on the plane, would gather surface samples and puts them on a bag. Close to the mission end, the rover would inflate a small balloon. The balloon would rise up to allow the plane to catch it during flight. It would have a small beacon to assist the plane for a perfect catch. The plane would have a fork like moving arm attached to its bottom. That arm catches the balloon and raises up the sample bag attached to its other end. The balloon only lifts the carbon nano tube wire attached to the sample bag to allow it to be raised by a low altitude flying plane. Once the sample bag is retrieved, the mission would be completed. The ascent stage attached to the plane would be fired to raise the humans and the surface samples to the orbiting service module.

The discarded plane would keep gliding over Venus like a glider until it crashes on the ground. The surface rover would also keep operating until it runs out of battery and becomes nonoperational due to immense heat on the surface.

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