*NASA-Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA 94035, U.S.A.
**The Aerospace Corporation, Los Angeles, CA 90009, U.S.A.
***University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90024, U.S.A.
Abstract:
The VEGA Venus Balloon Mission returned data on the themodynamic state of the atmosphere together with wind and cloud information. In this invited paper we review possible explanations for three aspects of the data: 1) the large amplitude atmospheric vertical winds encountered by the VEGA balloons; 2) the observed 6.5 K temperature difference consistently measured between the two VEGA balloons; and 3) the apparent influence of surface topography on atmospheric motions seen by the VEGA-2 balloon as it flew over the mountainous terrain known as Aphrodite.