Airplanes on Venus

It seems absolutely crazy. The very notion that humans might one day walk on the surface of Venus, if only for an hour or so, is incredible.
As a precursor to any sort of human mission, NASA researchers are suggesting the use of a robotic airplane. Like the Mars Rovers currently exploring the Red Planet, a Venusian airplane exploration robot would perform various experiments and beam results back to an orbiter then on to Earth.
Here's a snippet from the story at CNN.com:


As well as taking atmospheric measurements, the airplane would use radar to probe the surface of Venus from an altitude that would give scientists a tenfold improvement in resolution compared with data from an orbiting probe.
The aircraft would also carry a "flying brain" for a more durable surface rover that could emulate the success of NASA's Spirit and Opportunity rovers on Mars, team leader Greg Landis told the New Scientist magazine.




Check out the entire story here.
A robotic airplane on Venus? Wow. Not since the Magellan spacecraft has a Venus trip stirred such excitement. That little probe successfully mapped 98 percent of the Venusian surface before being ordered into the atmosphere for a final analysis, and the obligatory "burn-up upon re-entry."