text: While floating 30 or so miles above the surface of the fireball-like planet might give us more insight than we already have, to really acquire significant information, we need to get right down on the ground. On the planets surface, temperatures average over 800 degrees fahrenheit. While that may be hot enough to melt a chinsy-built little robot, the author makes a valid point that a system of steel gears and levers would be able to withstand such conditions for a long period of time. If we could send a mechanical-built robot down to explore, it might be able to survive on the surface of Venus long enough to collect some of the information we need. Perhaps a machine made out of tungsten, it'd be heavy, but the melting point would be significantly higher.