Onwards to Uranus and Neptune! |
Onwards to Uranus and Neptune! |
Jan 12 2008, 09:40 PM
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#1
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Member Group: Members Posts: 813 Joined: 8-February 04 From: Arabia Terra Member No.: 12 |
As soon as MESSENGER gets to Mercury, the most poorly explored planets in the solar system will be Uranus and Neptune. Could this lead to a revival of interest in the ice giants and their retinue, in the same way that the existence of New Horizons is perhaps partly due to the Pluto stamp*?
*via Pluto Fast Flyby and later Pluto Kuiper Express |
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Jan 13 2008, 12:12 AM
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#2
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Member Group: Members Posts: 718 Joined: 22-April 05 Member No.: 351 |
There is the opportunity, brought up in another thread, for a Jupiter > Saturn > Neptune tour with launch opportunities 2016-1018. It could then go on to visit one or more KBOs. A presentation on this opportunity as a New Frontiers candidate was made to a group reviewing the program in November, I think.
An ideal mission would drop a probe into the Saturn atmosphere as well as Neptune. It would also do a close fly-by of Triton. Don't know if the orbital mechanics will allow this and still do the probe relay. -------------------- |
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Feb 18 2008, 04:35 AM
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#3
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Junior Member Group: Members Posts: 22 Joined: 2-March 06 Member No.: 691 |
There is the opportunity, brought up in another thread, for a Jupiter > Saturn > Neptune tour with launch opportunities 2016-1018. It could then go on to visit one or more KBOs. A presentation on this opportunity as a New Frontiers candidate was made to a group reviewing the program in November, I think. An ideal mission would drop a probe into the Saturn atmosphere as well as Neptune. It would also do a close fly-by of Triton. Don't know if the orbital mechanics will allow this and still do the probe relay. This had me thinking... why can we not have three droppers, one at each? This would make an orbit of Neptune cheaper. How do you ask.. if you drop of a probe into Jupiter, Saturn, and before you make Neptune orbit you have less mass to slow down. what do you all think? |
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Feb 18 2008, 08:55 AM
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#4
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 3652 Joined: 1-October 05 From: Croatia Member No.: 523 |
you have less mass to slow down. What about mass you actually need to launch? Does it go down as well? -------------------- |
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