Human Venus Odyssey Update

While I was thinking on my human space flight ideas, I came up with minor updates to my Human Venus Odyssey (Human Venus Odyssey) idea. The major update would be to conduct a preliminary mission before the human flight using the very same rocket setup.

Unlike the later human flight, there will not be a human service module. Instead, the payload will be orbital relays to be deployed around Venus, the Venus Observation Telescope and the Venus Atmospheric Drone. My initial proposal suggested the human space flight to deploy the relays and the drones, but with these preliminary missions, the workload of the human flight is reduced. If we expect less from the human mission, the point of failure is also reduced, and a smaller payload burden allows more space and capacity for safety systems for the humans. By the way, even the telescope can be deployed in these preliminary missions so that the human flight does not need to carry it either. The crew would simply control the telescope remotely during their flybys.

The main objective of the preliminary mission will be to prove the feasibility of such an Odyssey, which includes:

- Elliptical orbiting around Venus (which requires continuous velocity shed).

- Deploying relays around Venus to allow continuous communication with Earth and the atmospheric drone.

- Testing of the telescope to observe Venus.

- Trans Mercury injection burn.

- Elliptical orbit around Mercury or pass by.

- Telescopic observation of Mercury.

- Trans Sun injection.

- Telescopic observation of Sun with relevant filters.

- Trans Earth injection using Sun's gravity.

If any of these milestones cannot be achieved during the mission, the mission profile would be altered and another preliminary mission would be conducted to verify its feasibility. Like the previous one, that mission would also carry relays and drones.

Depending on the feedback, the propulsion system, telescope, and other systems would be optimized. Importantly, the space ray shielding for the humans can be tested on a small test module, including the gas leakage for the whole mission duration.

These preliminary missions would reduce the fatality risk of the human mission and in the meanwhile double as infrastructure deployment missions. They would be like the Apollo 8 and 10 of the Apollo program.