johnlear
02-23-2008, 11:16 PM
This may be a fictional story about how our current concept of Venus was developed.
Early in the 1960’s, at the beginning of the space program it was decided by the ‘deciders’ that no planet in our solar system should be inhabited. At least as far as the public was concerned.
Deep in a secret underground bunker, a secret meeting is brought to order.
Gentlemen, I have been assigned the task of making Venus uninhabitable and you are here to help me.
Now, whatever preconception you’ve had about Venus, whatever you’ve heard about it being a beautiful and habitable planet similar to earth is out the window forever. Venus is no longer habitable, the lights are out and nobody is home.
Now, let’s have some ideas.
How about heat…how about making it 150 degrees?
150 degrees? Heck we’ll make it 1000 degrees!
Too round a number. How about 800 degrees?
800 degrees it is. Heck lead melts at 600.
How about a few volcanoes and lava?
Good, good, but not just a few volcanoes, I want ‘em all over the place, the entire planet carpeted with hot, flowing lava.
Come on now lets think outside the box. Ideas?
How about an atmosphere of sulphuric acid?
Excellent, excellent. Come on now, lets not be bashful. We want this place to be so scary that nobody will ever think it to be habitable.
How about an atmospheric pressure several times that of earth?
Several times? We’ll make it a hundred times! No, no…that’s not believable, make it 90 times. That’s it, 90 bars! 90 times earths’ atmospheric pressure. Anything that is not burnt or suffocated will be squished to smithereens!
Gentlemen I think we have ourselves a planet. One more thing. Any pictures of Venus will be henceforth be rendered in yellow and orange. That will make ‘em think it hotter than you know where.
Sir, let me respectfully suggest that this is a joke. Nobody is going to believe that all of this could be on one planet. It’s crazy!
Let me tell you son: if we repeat it often enough and loud enough, they’ll believe it. Believe you me.
And so earths Evil Twin was born. Again.
Early in the 1960’s, at the beginning of the space program it was decided by the ‘deciders’ that no planet in our solar system should be inhabited. At least as far as the public was concerned.
Deep in a secret underground bunker, a secret meeting is brought to order.
Gentlemen, I have been assigned the task of making Venus uninhabitable and you are here to help me.
Now, whatever preconception you’ve had about Venus, whatever you’ve heard about it being a beautiful and habitable planet similar to earth is out the window forever. Venus is no longer habitable, the lights are out and nobody is home.
Now, let’s have some ideas.
How about heat…how about making it 150 degrees?
150 degrees? Heck we’ll make it 1000 degrees!
Too round a number. How about 800 degrees?
800 degrees it is. Heck lead melts at 600.
How about a few volcanoes and lava?
Good, good, but not just a few volcanoes, I want ‘em all over the place, the entire planet carpeted with hot, flowing lava.
Come on now lets think outside the box. Ideas?
How about an atmosphere of sulphuric acid?
Excellent, excellent. Come on now, lets not be bashful. We want this place to be so scary that nobody will ever think it to be habitable.
How about an atmospheric pressure several times that of earth?
Several times? We’ll make it a hundred times! No, no…that’s not believable, make it 90 times. That’s it, 90 bars! 90 times earths’ atmospheric pressure. Anything that is not burnt or suffocated will be squished to smithereens!
Gentlemen I think we have ourselves a planet. One more thing. Any pictures of Venus will be henceforth be rendered in yellow and orange. That will make ‘em think it hotter than you know where.
Sir, let me respectfully suggest that this is a joke. Nobody is going to believe that all of this could be on one planet. It’s crazy!
Let me tell you son: if we repeat it often enough and loud enough, they’ll believe it. Believe you me.
And so earths Evil Twin was born. Again.