The co-founder of OceanGate, which built the ill-fated Titan submarine, claims he can safely send humans to Venus by 2050.
Guillermo Sonline founded OceanGate in 2009 with Stockton Rush, who died a year ago when the Titan exploded while diving toward the Titanic wreck site with 4 men inside.
However, despite its less-than-stellar safety record, Sunline is now seeking to send human colonies to Venus.
In one of his blog posts, he said: “We can embark on our journey to Venus today, and do so safely and cost-effectively.”
But most scientists say Venus is completely uninhabitable, with surface temperatures high enough to melt lead and an atmosphere filled with clouds of sulfuric acid.
Sonlein, who left OceanGate a decade ago, does not plan to attempt a landing on the surface of Venus, but he suggests that humans could live in floating cities about 50 km above the surface of Venus.
At this altitude, the force of gravity is equivalent to 98% of Earth's gravity, which Sonlein believes is necessary for the survival of a human colony.
In addition, the air pressure at this altitude is equivalent to the pressure at the Earth's surface, and temperatures remain at a relatively acceptable level of between 30-50 degrees Celsius.
As for sulfuric acid clouds, he says, “they can be overcome with respirators and acid-resistant materials” or converted into potable water.
“The fact is that Venus is much closer to Earth and has a very similar orbit, which makes it more accessible than Mars,” Sonlein said.
He added: "We also do not have to worry about making successful landings on the planet's surface, which is one of the biggest challenges that awaits us on Mars."
Since Sunline left OceanGate in 2013, he has been pursuing the highly ambitious goal of sending humans to Venus.
He founded the Humans2Venus Foundation in 2020 with the stated goal of creating “the largest global community of general and professional Venus enthusiasts.”