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Jupiter flagship selected
john_s
post Feb 18 2009, 03:47 PM
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http://www.nasa.gov/topics/solarsystem/fea...s/20090218.html


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Stu
post Feb 20 2009, 12:28 AM
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At the risk of offending Titan-lovers here, I have to be honest and say that I'm glad Jupiter got the nod for this flagship mission, Don’t get me wrong; I love the Saturn system, and I love Titan too. What’s not to love about a planet-sized satellite that has its own atmosphere, coastlines, lakes and maybe ice volcanoes, too? And the proposed Titan mission sounds thrilling - who wouldn’t be thrilled to the point of blacking-out by the prospect of seeing pictures from a probe that has just splash-landed in one of Titan’s methane lakes, or from a balloon that is drifting over Titan’s plains - but that sounds like a very, very tough challenge to me. It will happen one day, I’m sure, but maybe not for another three decades… and I can’t wait that long! Jeez, I'm going to be 61 - sixty frakking one! - when the new Europa images start coming back. That's quite a depressing thought.

But I'm still excited at the prospect of seeing Europa again. It's one of my favourite worlds in the solar system. It’s captivated and fascinated me ever since I saw those first fuzzy Voyager images of it back in the days of Charlie’s Angels. (Oops, showing my age now!) and, spookily, I just finished reading John Varley's "Rolling Thunder" novel, a huge chunk of which is set on Europa. Reading it reminded me why I love its icebergs and ice cliffs; grooves and channels; crevices and crevasses. Voyager and Galileo showed us features on its mottled, fractured, colour-spattered surface that still make me shake my head in wonder. And those images, which are pretty good, were taken with old technology, cameras nowhere near as good as the kit we have today! Just imagine the stunning images we’ll see when EJSM starts taking pictures… we’ll zoom in on those jagged edged icebergs… see right into the fractures and pits and grooves… catch sunlight glinting off the vast ice plains… see Jupiter looming over Europa’s horizon, just as it’s been shown in space art for all these years…

Of course, these pictures are all a long, long way ahead, and I can't help wondering what kind of world we’ll all be living in then. As I said, I’ll be 61 in 2026... how badly will Earth and mankind have been affected by global warming and economic hardship by then? Will China already have beaten the US to the Moon, and be in the process of training astronauts for a manned expedition to Mars? Will we have the first picture of an Earth-like extrasolar planet? Will we have detected a signal from another civilisation from deep space? It could literally be a New World by then, in so many ways. I don't know whether to be excited or frightened by that thought.

But it's good to know we're planning the Next Great Mission.



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belleraphon1
post Feb 20 2009, 12:55 AM
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Well said Stu! I had the same thrill from Voyager and Galileo. And on top of that there is Ganymede and Callisto... forgive me folks, but there is something very intriguing to me about the sublimating seltzer surface of Callisto, and the tectonics on Ganymede...... and how the freak does Callisto have an ocean when it formed too cold to differentiate.?

We stand to learn do much...

Craig ... 72 in 2025

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tedstryk
post Feb 20 2009, 01:52 AM
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I agree. With four planet-sized moons, the surface area to explore is tremendous, and Galileo, while it was a noble salvage mission, barely could scratch the surface. I strongly favored this mission, although much of my bias comes from the fact that the Titan mission strikes me as more technically difficult (in the sense that it depends on more new technology), and is therefore more likely to be delayed.


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- john_s   Jupiter flagship selected   Feb 18 2009, 03:47 PM
- - djellison   There will be some happy people, and some disappoi...   Feb 18 2009, 03:59 PM
|- - ustrax   For those, as I, who were looking forward for a TS...   Feb 18 2009, 04:28 PM
|- - centsworth_II   Although I was a "Titan Now" kind of per...   Feb 18 2009, 04:32 PM
|- - john_s   Plume activity on Europa can't be ruled out, t...   Feb 18 2009, 04:51 PM
||- - ustrax   Sorry for the ignorant mode here but I don't k...   Feb 18 2009, 04:59 PM
|||- - SFJCody   Well, I was hoping for Titan, but Ganymede & E...   Feb 18 2009, 05:13 PM
||- - centsworth_II   QUOTE (john_s @ Feb 18 2009, 11:51 AM) Pl...   Feb 18 2009, 05:15 PM
|- - ngunn   QUOTE (centsworth_II @ Feb 18 2009, 04:32...   Feb 18 2009, 04:57 PM
- - ngunn   I'm not upset (or surprised). I always wanted ...   Feb 18 2009, 04:28 PM
- - ngunn   Rui - I always keep an eye on spacEurope - even wh...   Feb 18 2009, 05:22 PM
|- - ustrax   QUOTE (ngunn @ Feb 18 2009, 05:22 PM) I...   Feb 18 2009, 05:37 PM
- - Bjorn Jonsson   I originally preferred TSSM but eventually became ...   Feb 18 2009, 05:41 PM
- - mps   Am I the only one here who preferred EJSM? TSSM is...   Feb 18 2009, 05:57 PM
|- - Stephen   QUOTE (mps @ Feb 19 2009, 04:57 AM) Am I ...   Feb 19 2009, 12:36 AM
|- - EccentricAnomaly   QUOTE (Stephen @ Feb 18 2009, 04:36 PM) A...   Feb 19 2009, 03:54 PM
|- - vjkane   QUOTE (EccentricAnomaly @ Feb 19 2009, 03...   Feb 19 2009, 06:23 PM
- - Mariner9   I also preffered TSSM, based mostly on the idea th...   Feb 18 2009, 06:18 PM
|- - ngunn   QUOTE (Mariner9 @ Feb 18 2009, 06:18 PM) ...   Feb 18 2009, 07:01 PM
|- - Mariner9   QUOTE (ngunn @ Feb 18 2009, 11:01 AM) Tha...   Feb 18 2009, 08:43 PM
- - volcanopele   mps, don't worry, you are not the only one A...   Feb 18 2009, 06:41 PM
- - alphacenturai   Well this is indeed a fascinating news, like long...   Feb 18 2009, 06:42 PM
- - K-P   Great great news! I was also at first a bit pr...   Feb 18 2009, 07:02 PM
- - Paolo   Selection of the Jupiter mission would mean that t...   Feb 18 2009, 07:05 PM
|- - rlorenz   QUOTE (Paolo @ Feb 18 2009, 02:05 PM) Sel...   Feb 18 2009, 07:39 PM
|- - ngunn   QUOTE (rlorenz @ Feb 18 2009, 07:39 PM) W...   Feb 18 2009, 09:35 PM
- - Sunspot   2026 arrival?   Feb 18 2009, 07:40 PM
|- - ugordan   QUOTE (Sunspot @ Feb 18 2009, 08:40 PM) 2...   Feb 18 2009, 07:46 PM
- - Greg Hullender   Ralph, I figure the JS assist opportunities out to...   Feb 18 2009, 07:54 PM
|- - rlorenz   QUOTE (Greg Hullender @ Feb 18 2009, 02:5...   Feb 19 2009, 09:29 PM
- - Juramike   In my perfect world, the Jupiter flagship is earma...   Feb 18 2009, 10:19 PM
- - volcanopele   Jim Green posted a message on the OPF website: htt...   Feb 18 2009, 11:56 PM
- - belleraphon1   I really anticipated that EJSM/JGO would be the ch...   Feb 19 2009, 12:06 AM
- - volcanopele   Since the probe that will be flying by Io has been...   Feb 19 2009, 12:46 AM
|- - tedstryk   It sure seems to me that ESA has made up its mind....   Feb 19 2009, 02:07 AM
- - gpurcell   How did it happen that there was such a gap betwee...   Feb 19 2009, 05:49 PM
- - gpurcell   Was MSL explicitly funded instead of an outer plan...   Feb 19 2009, 08:04 PM
|- - vjkane   QUOTE (gpurcell @ Feb 19 2009, 08:04 PM) ...   Feb 19 2009, 11:46 PM
|- - tedstryk   I think the term was coined during the early Goldi...   Feb 19 2009, 11:51 PM
|- - stevesliva   QUOTE (vjkane @ Feb 19 2009, 07:46 PM) (T...   Feb 20 2009, 12:29 AM
- - Mariner9   Caveat: I'm trying to avoid a political discus...   Feb 19 2009, 09:02 PM
- - NMRguy   Something that I can't figure out is how large...   Feb 19 2009, 09:35 PM
- - Mariner9   You mean when Goldin wasn't calling Cassini ...   Feb 20 2009, 12:18 AM
- - Stu   At the risk of offending Titan-lovers here, I have...   Feb 20 2009, 12:28 AM
|- - belleraphon1   Well said Stu! I had the same thrill from Voya...   Feb 20 2009, 12:55 AM
|- - tedstryk   I agree. With four planet-sized moons, the surfac...   Feb 20 2009, 01:52 AM
|- - ngunn   QUOTE (belleraphon1 @ Feb 20 2009, 12:55 ...   Feb 20 2009, 10:29 AM
- - Stu   "sublimating seltzer surface of Callisto...   Feb 20 2009, 01:05 AM
- - belleraphon1   Stu Coming from our resident poet, I am quite fla...   Feb 20 2009, 01:37 AM
- - Stu   Artist's impression Callisto's Spires... ...   Feb 20 2009, 01:44 AM
|- - belleraphon1   QUOTE (Stu @ Feb 19 2009, 08:44 PM) Artis...   Feb 20 2009, 01:53 AM
- - dvandorn   The selection makes sense to me. After all, we...   Feb 20 2009, 03:19 AM
|- - EccentricAnomaly   **POOF**   Mar 4 2009, 05:39 PM
- - Stu   True enough, but sometimes it's just nice to t...   Feb 20 2009, 10:43 AM
- - ngunn   Your quite right Stu. I take no pleasure in being ...   Feb 20 2009, 11:03 AM
- - Stu   Think you meant "You're quite right......   Feb 20 2009, 12:03 PM
|- - ngunn   QUOTE (Stu @ Feb 20 2009, 12:03 PM) Think...   Feb 20 2009, 12:15 PM
- - volcanopele   The topic has veered a bit from the discussion of ...   Feb 21 2009, 12:05 AM
|- - tedstryk   I really look forward to the large color images th...   Feb 22 2009, 03:03 PM
- - DrShank   i have been traveling recently and been waiting to...   Feb 25 2009, 05:07 AM
- - nprev   Not to fan flames, but it also might be wise to co...   Mar 5 2009, 02:34 AM
|- - centsworth_II   QUOTE (nprev @ Mar 4 2009, 09:34 PM) I...   Mar 5 2009, 07:09 AM
|- - EccentricAnomaly   **POOF**   Mar 5 2009, 03:05 PM
|- - centsworth_II   QUOTE (EccentricAnomaly @ Mar 5 2009, 10...   Mar 5 2009, 04:16 PM
|- - EccentricAnomaly   **POOF**   Mar 6 2009, 06:57 PM
|- - tedstryk   QUOTE (EccentricAnomaly @ Mar 6 2009, 06...   Mar 6 2009, 07:54 PM
|- - imipak   QUOTE (EccentricAnomaly @ Mar 6 2009, 06...   Mar 6 2009, 09:50 PM
- - Fran Ontanaya   Well, even if both were equally technologically fe...   Mar 5 2009, 04:04 PM
|- - EccentricAnomaly   **POOF**   Mar 6 2009, 07:16 PM
- - stevesliva   Are you suggesting that they need to handle a land...   Mar 5 2009, 08:18 PM
- - marsbug   That would be tame compared to actually landing on...   Mar 5 2009, 09:03 PM
|- - Juramike   QUOTE (marsbug @ Mar 5 2009, 04:03 PM) Th...   Mar 5 2009, 09:51 PM
|- - EccentricAnomaly   **POOF**   Mar 6 2009, 06:52 PM
- - volcanopele   If anything I thought the press release didn't...   Mar 6 2009, 07:58 PM
- - ngunn   I agree. The press release seems to leave Titan qu...   Mar 6 2009, 09:31 PM
- - ngunn   If it won't fit in the tube just ask it to wal...   Mar 6 2009, 09:54 PM
|- - EccentricAnomaly   **POOF**   Mar 9 2009, 06:24 PM
- - ngunn   I was certainly not mocking anybody there, nor wei...   Mar 9 2009, 06:56 PM
- - imipak   Well now, and I took it to mean I'd missed som...   Mar 9 2009, 07:47 PM
- - nprev   Re remote examination of cryogenic-temp liquids: A...   Mar 9 2009, 09:03 PM
- - djellison   I'm going to draw a line under the 'techni...   Mar 9 2009, 09:44 PM
- - Juramike   I'm going to assume you didn't see the mes...   Mar 9 2009, 09:55 PM
- - Mariner9   I'm a bit concerned about this statement by Lo...   May 19 2009, 06:38 PM
|- - vjkane   QUOTE (Mariner9 @ May 19 2009, 06:38 PM) ...   May 20 2009, 03:55 AM
- - gpurcell   Interesting language in the House markup: QUOTE T...   Jun 17 2009, 01:03 PM
- - Mariner9   Interesting wording. I wonder what is 'incons...   Jun 17 2009, 05:08 PM
|- - MahFL   Seems to mean "Wow it's expensive.....but...   Jun 17 2009, 05:17 PM
- - vjkane   My reading of the budget plan as presented by the ...   Jun 17 2009, 05:57 PM
- - gpurcell   What does a 2018 launch opportunity provide that a...   Jun 17 2009, 06:51 PM
- - Mariner9   Up until now the only reasons I have read for exte...   Jun 17 2009, 10:52 PM
- - Tom Tamlyn   Bob Pappalardo has a good BBC interview on the Eur...   Mar 8 2010, 06:45 PM
- - Paolo   today on arXiv: Title: EJSM Origins White Document   May 7 2010, 05:13 AM


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