It is launching a fleet of spy satellites and plans to test a rocket that can reenter the atmosphere--officially, for space shuttle research.

FORBES: Japan Weapons, Inc.

So it would be nice to test those models by observing a planet whose atmosphere is already well known: Venus.

ECONOMIST: Transits of Venus

Test pilots demonstrated that it could fly and land in the atmosphere like airplanes, but the Enterprise never flew in space.

CNN: Space shuttle Enterprise flies again

Next year, NASA is to launch a demonstration mission to test optical laser communications in conjunction with the LADEE (Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer) mission to the moon.

FORBES: Future Of NASA's Aging Deep Space Network Lies In X-Rays And Lasers

The reason astronomers want to observe reflected sunlight during the transit of Venus is to test whether they can detect the faint imprint of passage of the sun's light through the atmosphere of Venus.

CNN: A transit of Venus, an age of wondrous science

In terms of the atmosphere, we had prepared for chaos even going as far as to watch clips from previous Test matches played at the ground.

BBC: John Barclay's view