The potential detection of phosphine in the atmosphere of Venus has reignited interest in the possibility of life aloft in this environment. If the cloud decks of Venus are indeed an abode of life, it should reside in the “habitable zone” between ∼50–60 km altitude, roughly coincident with the middle cloud deck, where the temperature and pressure (but not the atmospheric composition) are similar to conditions at the Earth’s surface. We map out a precursor astrobiological mission to search for such putative lifeforms in situ with instrument balloons, which could be delivered to Venus via launch opportunities in 2022–2023. This mission would collect aerosol and dust samples by means of small balloons floating in the Venusian cloud deck and directly scrutinize whether they include any apparent biological materials and, if so, their shapes, sizes, and motility. Our balloon mission would also be equipped with a miniature mass spectrometer that should permit the detection of complex organic molecules. The mission is augmented by contextual cameras to search for macroscopic signatures of life in the Venusian atmospheric habitable zone. Finally, mass and power constraints permitting, radio interferometric determinations of the motion of the balloons in Venusian winds, together with in situ temperature and pressure measurements, will provide valuable insights into the poorly understood meteorology of the middle cloud region.

在金星大气中对磷化氢的潜在检测重新激发了人们对在这种环境下高生活的可能性的兴趣。如果金星的云层确实是生活的住所，那么它应该位于海拔约50-60 km的“宜居区域”，与温度和压力（但不是大气成分）的中间云层大致重合类似于地球表面的情况。我们规划了一个前体天体生物学任务，以使用仪表气球在原地寻找这种假定的生命形式，可以通过2022-2023年的发射机会将其交付给金星。该任务将通过漂浮在维纳斯云层中的小气球收集气溶胶和灰尘样品，并直接检查它们是否包含任何明显的生物材料，如果存在，还应检查其形状，大小，和动力。我们的气球飞行任务还将配备微型质谱仪，该质谱仪应能够检测复杂的有机分子。通过上下文摄像机来增强该任务，以搜索维纳斯大气宜居区域中生命的宏观特征。最后，由于质量和功率的限制，对金星风中的气球运动进行无线电干涉测量，再加上原位温度和压力测量，将为了解中云区的气象问题提供有价值的见解。借助上下文相机来增强该任务，以搜索金星大气可居住区域中生命的宏观特征。最后，由于质量和功率的限制，对金星风中的气球运动进行无线电干涉测量，再加上原位温度和压力测量，将为了解中云区的气象问题提供有价值的见解。借助上下文相机来增强该任务，以搜索金星大气可居住区域中生命的宏观特征。最后，由于质量和功率的限制，对金星风中的气球运动进行无线电干涉测量，再加上原位温度和压力测量，将为了解中云区的气象问题提供有价值的见解。