text: However, peering at venus from a ship orbiting or hovering safely far above the planet can provide only limited insight on ground conditions because most forms of light cannot penetrate the dense atomosphere, rendering standard forms of photography and videography ineffective. More importantly, researchers cannot take samples of rock, gas, or anything else, from a distance. Therefore, scientists seeking to conduct a thorough mission to understand Venus would need to get up close and personal despite the risks. Or maybe we should think of them as challenges. Many researchers are working on innovations that would allow our machines to last long enough to contribute meaningfully to out knowledge of Venus.