There are four planets in our solar system that we call "gas giants", meaning that, instead of a rocky surface like the Earth, they're just enormous balls of gas. This leads a lot of people to wonder what it would be like to try and land on the surface of one of these planets. Do they even have a surface or would you just sail straight through? Even though scientists still aren't quite sure about what lies at the centre of a gas giant like Jupiter (a rocky core? A liquid ocean? A McDonald's drive thru?), we can have a fair crack at imagining what it would be like to land there with the information we do have. Presuming that you have a super-strong, pressurised space suit that shields you from dangerous levels of radiation, your first task would be defining the "surface". The gasses that make up Jupiter don't have a clear cut "edge", they just sort of peter out into space. So, when scientists talk about the "surface" of a gas giant, they're generally referring to the point where the atmospheric pressure is at 1 bar, roughly then same as on Earth. You wouldn't be able to stand, you would simply fall through, initially incredibly quickly, but as you fall, the atmosphere gets denser and denser, gradually slowing you down. As the atmospheric pressure ramps up, you'll have to equalise your ears unless you want your eardrums to implode. This, however, is probably the least of your worries. By the time you reach the brownish clouds that swirl around the surface, the atmospheric pressure will be at about 4 bar, the equivalent of SCUBA diving up to 30 metres. You'll also be swept along sideways by the enormous storms that rage across Jupiter. As you continue to fall through the planet, the temperature and pressure continues to rise. Your fall gradually slows to a stop at about 2,000,000 bar, where the density of the atmosphere is about the same as water and the temperature outside is about the same as the surface of the sun. This whole journey will probably take you about half an hour. If by some miracle, you're still alive (you won't be), you will be trapped in this pitch black inferno until the heat death of the universe. So that's a cheery thought. Psst, want some science? Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter and we'll hook you up.