There is now some plausibility for sending rovers to venus. Probes have landed before, but they only lasted as long as their cooling due to the temperature of about 464 C. A rover style mission seemed out of the question, as there would be no way of providing the power over an extended time for cooling.
Right now the probes that landed were the Russian Venera series.
http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/venera.html
But now there seems a chance to create a working rover without cooling. Look here:
http://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/SiC/SiCReview.html
The big problem was the electronics. Silicon circuits won't work much above 100 C, but Silicon carbide works at up to 600 C. In a few years a silicon carbide computer, communications, and silicon carbide image sensors will be possible. The rest of such a rover is already possible.
Why should we be interested in Venus? Apart from the fact that we would like to know more about planets in general, it could be argued that it is a candidate for life. It is far too hot for earth style life, but it does have advantages. In particular it is probably volcanically active. That means fresh high energy chemicals brought to the surface. That is the sort of food that the most primitive of all life needs. There is no liquid water but the atmosphere probably makes a fair alternative to liquids as a medium for chemical reactions, especially at such high temperatures. Life based on gasses rather than water is just about plausible provided that a sufficient range of organic chemicals are gasses at the temperate involved.
Your Friendly Neighborhood Administrator
