Andrew Gray wrote in message ...
Astonishingly, this actually has space history in it.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3387895.stm

"Computer researcher Don Mitchell used original digital data from two
Soviet Venera probes that landed in 1975. His reprocessed and
recalibrated images provide a much clearer view of the Venusian
surface..."

His page is at http://www.mentallandscape.com/V_Venus.htm ; the images
themselves seem to be ferreted away somewhere on a page that's 404ing,
but there's a good solid history of the Soviet (and the contemporary
American) program of Venus probes there. I've read parts of it, and
commend it to your attention...

Right on target, as Venus offers evolution if not terraformed life a
far safer bet than Mars, and certainly a whole lot more survivable
than our moon.

"Moon Dirt isn't just Moon Dirt, it's absolutely Everything Dirt"

I have absolutely no doubts that once upon a time Mars had a
sufficient atmosphere, thereby a warmer and radiation protected
environment, possibly even long enough to have sustained either
natural evolution and/or of some well intended terraforming on behalf
of establishing some life similar to human.

Unfortunately, there are certain limits to which life and of it's
DNA/RNA as we know it can coexist within the confines of what Mars has
had to offer for the past few thousand years, and certainly things are
not getting any better. Whereas Venus still offers a survivable
atmospheric buffer zone that's also loaded with all sorts of natural
energy opportunities.

The more the likes of Mars core cools itself off, the worse becomes
any opportunity for that planet to revive itself, short of receiving a
massive infusion of artificial energy, such as what 1000 terawatts per
year as derived from our lunar He3 might have to offer.

Some good readings: SADDAM HUSSEIN and The SAND PIRATES
http://mittymax.com/Archive/0085-Sad...andPirates.htm

The latest insults to this Mars/Moon injury:
http://guthvenus.tripod.com/gv-moon-02.htm

Some other recent updates:
http://guthvenus.tripod.com/gv-gwb-moon.htm

http://guthvenus.tripod.com/gv-interplanetary.htm

http://guthvenus.tripod.com/moon-04.htm