Editing First Persistent Venus Aerostat (section)

=== Atmospheric Chemistry Research ===
The station's primary scientific mission during its first operational decade was systematic atmospheric chemistry mapping. Atmospheric chemist [[Marta Deschênes]], assigned to the second crew rotation in 2104 CE, produced the foundational sulfuric acid aerosol datasets that became the reference standard for all subsequent Venusian research. Deschênes' measurements established vertical aerosol density profiles with an accuracy not previously achievable from orbital or short-duration probe platforms. Her data directly informed the altitude and envelope specifications used in the design of the [[Aphrodite Station Class-I Aerostats]] commissioned in 2124 CE.

Instrument booms extended beneath the gondola allowed sampling at altitudes ranging from 48 to 56 kilometres during controlled altitude oscillations. Over 17 years of operation, the station produced continuous atmospheric records covering more than a thousand complete atmospheric rotation cycles — a dataset whose depth had no equivalent in any planetary science archive of the [[Chronology of the Aetherium Expanse#era-bootstrap|Bootstrap]] or early Interplanetary Age.