OceanGate co-founder claims he can ‘safely’ put humans on Venus.
Guillermo Söhnlein, co-founder of the ill-fated Titan submersible venture, has sparked a bold new conversation about human space exploration by claiming that sending humans to Venus is not only possible but potentially safer than reaching Mars.
Despite Venus’s reputation for its extreme heat and toxic atmosphere, Söhnlein believes humans can adapt using specialized breathing equipment and acid-resistant materials.
In an April blog post, Söhnlein proposed that human habitats could be established 50 kilometers above Venus’s surface, where conditions are surprisingly similar to those on Earth.
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This high-altitude region, he argues, offers a more hospitable environment than Venus’s surface and could serve as a stepping stone for future space exploration.
Söhnlein’s unconventional idea challenges the scientific consensus that Venus is inhospitable to human life.
He suggests that Venus might even be a better initial target for human colonization efforts than Mars, which poses significant challenges for successful landings and long-term habitation.
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Now, through his Humans2Venus Foundation, Söhnlein is rallying scientists, explorers, and private investors to support his vision.
He posits that establishing a human presence on Venus is a more realistic goal than Elon Musk’s aim of settling a million people on Mars by 2050.
Söhnlein’s advocacy for Venus exploration follows his departure from OceanGate in January 2020.
OceanGate, co-founded with Stockton Rush in 2009, suffered a tragic loss last June when the Titan submersible imploded during a dive to the Titanic wreck, killing Rush and four others.
A year ago today Titan, a submersible operated by OceanGate Expeditions, imploded while attempting to view the wreck of the Titanic, killing all five people on board including the co-founder and CEO of the company, Stockton Rush in the North Atlantic Ocean. pic.twitter.com/feGEIw33Rx
— 𝖍𝖊𝖓𝖙𝖊 (@hente_afsc) June 18, 2024
Since then, Söhnlein has founded Space Bridge Partners, a company designed to connect commercial investors with space exploration missions, furthering his commitment to advancing human presence in space.
