Buoyant Venus station requirements

Use of a Buoyant Venus Station, a balloon-supported instrument package, to explore in the atmosphere of Venus would permit instruments to operate in a moderate environment with advantages of long duration in the atmosphere and mobility. Measurements relating to atmosphere and surface could be made, the latter either indirectly or by sondes dropped from the station. The concept is not sensitive to the choice of companion spacecraft mission mode; with minor differences, a station weighing 500 Ib at deployment is suitable for flyby, orbital, and swingby missions. This paper describes three technologies requiring development: heat shield, superpressure balloon, and tracking of the station to determine position. A modest development program is proposed.