Researchers are designing a stingray-shaped spacecraft to explore the dark side of Venus.

(Image: © CRASH Lab, University at Buffalo)

Could a stingray-shaped spacecraft get to the dark side of Venus by flapping its wings?

Researchers at the University of Buffalo (UB) are designing a spacecraft shaped like a stingray that could explore Venus in ways never before possible. The craft, designed as part of the Bio-inspired Ray for Extreme Environments and Zonal Explorations (BREEZE) project, is one of 12 selected by NASA for the agency’s Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) program, which supports new, innovative technologies.