Nuking Venus Options

[gndonald]

I was reading an online article on the various plans to explode nuclear weapons on the moon, when I spotted a reference to Soviet plans to 'calibrate' seismic models of Venus by exploding a nuclear weapon there, supposedly this planning went on until the 1970's which is well after the limited test ban treaty.

Obviously this would not have been a single craft mission, as seismographic equipment would have to have been emplaced before the explosion. Does anyone have any further information on just what was planned?

[ljk4-1]

Here are more details and useful links on the Soviet lunar nuke plans:

http://utenti.lycos.it/paoloulivi/nuke.html

The page also includes info and images of some of the nukes detonated
in Earth orbit.

And the similar USAF plans, which included the possibility of recovering
organic matter from the debris cloud of the nuclear explosion on the
lunar surface:

http://utenti.lycos.it/paoloulivi/tr5939v1.html