What does /sagan/ think of this? I think it's a pretty fucking sweet idea. I wonder what sort of materials you could use that are both light weight and durable enough for a floating Venusian colony. I had an idea that could help with the buoyancy of the thing: non essential parts of the structure (floors and walls) could be made out of brick like objects that are either vacuum hollow or filled with a gas like helium at very low pressure. They would be brick like objects because many could be punctured without jepordizing the integrity of the station. one could also vent waste heat out the bottom and sides to create a bit of thrust. The only major problem would be in getting people and materials to and from the colony. Then again, I suspect by the time we're in a position to build something like this, navigating the haze of the Venusian atmosphere safely won't be much of a challenge.