Scientists Have a Radical Plan to Grab a Sample of Venus’s Toxic Atmosphere

Offering incredibly high temperatures, crushing pressure, and a thick mix of carbon dioxide and sulfuric acid, the atmosphere on Venus is deadly to human beings, several times over – but China has plans to penetrate this hostile environment and bring samples back. The ambitious plans have been put together as a joint effort by the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), the China National Space Administration (CNSA), and the China Manned Space Engineering Office (CMSEO). They were announced last year, with a tentative launch window of 2028 to 2035 mentioned. However, few details have been given about how the mission is…