Cloud Cities of Venus

"Colonizing Venus With Floating Cities"
Universe Today (July 16, 2008)

"Seemingly, people in the space community have a tendency to push the boundaries of thought about all the possibilities that await us in the universe. Case in point: Geoffrey Landis. Landis is a scientist at NASA's Glenn Research Center who writes science fiction in his spare time. Last week Landis shared with us his ideas for using a solar powered airplane to study Venus. This week, Landis goes a step farther (actually, several steps farther) with his ideas about colonizing Venus. Yes, Venus, our hot, greenhouse-effect-gone-mad neighboring planet with a crushing surface pressure that has doomed the few spacecraft that have attempted to reach the planet's mysterious landscape...."

It's not all that crazy an idea.

It looks like we have the technology to build those cities now.

I think the limiting factor will be economic. Somehow, it would have to be worthwhile to go to Venus and build a city about 50 kilometers up in the clouds. The NASA scientist may have made a useful suggestion: "Just think of the great pictures you could get," said Landis. Tourism, anyone?