Is this the machine that will finally help us explore Venus's ravaged surface? Rover could sail its way across the planet carrying electronics that function at 450°C

Crushing pressures, powerful winds and acidic clouds have meant that any probes ever sent to Venus have only ever lasted a few hours.

Now Nasa is proposing a windsurfing rover that it claims could to take on Venus' severe environment by sailing across its surface.

The rover, dubbed the Zephyr, is designed to work at extremely low powers while carrying electronics that can function at a temperature of 450°C.

The rover, dubbed the Zephyr, is being proposed by Geoffrey Landis of the Glenn Research Center. It is designed to work at extremely low powers and only has two moving parts

It is being designed by Geoffrey Landis of the Glenn Research Center in Cleveland as part of Nasa’s Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) programme.

Venus is often labelled as Earth's twin due to its similar size, gravity and ‘terrestrial’ composition, which is largely made up of silicate rocks or metals.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2402253/Zephyr-rover-help-explore-Venus-ravaged-surface-claims-NASA.html