Quote:
Originally Posted by m1omg
Vacuum flask painted pure white, with an inner dome painted white, covered by the aerogel should cool it, at least it will reduce the need for a cyogen.
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I'm not an expert on aerogel, but after reading the wikipedia article I still wonder if they would be able to maintain themselves at the pressures of the venusian surface or if the friable aerogels would shatter. It's an interesting idea worth exploring.
However, something else comes to mind. Even if you manage to maintain the rigidity of the habitat shell, how do you plan to anchor it? After all, the bouyancy of a 1 atm shell under 90 atm would make it want to pop up like a cork. It'd be like trying to hold a balloon underwater.