Engineers building flying robots to hunt for alien life on Venus

Engineers are developing software for lighter-than-air spacecraft that might be able to explore the clouds of Venus, an environment that could harbour alien life. These hybrid machines use buoyancy and aerodynamic lift to control their altitude – with the substantial benefit that during the day they can collect energy from the Sun in order to move while conserving power by floating during the night. It is hoped that the aerobots would be able to cruise for several months to one year. This buoyancy of the vehicle also means that it would be prevented from descending more than 50 kilometres from the surface of Venus. The temperature of the planet can reach approximately 475 degrees Celsius, and has melted numerous probes sent to it already.