Discovery 2012 |
Discovery 2012 |
Jul 12 2012, 02:19 AM
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#1
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Member Group: Members Posts: 611 Joined: 23-February 07 From: Occasionally in Columbia, MD Member No.: 1764 |
Article (and an opportunity to vote) on the Discovery program and the missions under consideration for summer 2012 selection
http://www.nature.com/news/nasa-set-to-cho...mission-1.10982 |
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Aug 21 2012, 01:33 AM
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#2
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 3419 Joined: 9-February 04 From: Minneapolis, MN, USA Member No.: 15 |
I also have to say I'm happy with the choice of InSight, as I've been seriously wanting heat flow data from Mars for a really long time, and a good, sensitive seismometer is worth an awful lot, too. (Too bad the seismometers attached to the Viking lander structures didn't work very well, if at all.)
Yet, as so many have expressed, it's bittersweet. We would all, I'm sure, love to see the vistas from a Titanian lake. However, remember that vistas are only one part of the reason for exploring our solar system. A good TiME mission would likely have given views of the ripples on the surface of the lake that are like a meter away, unless it would have had some kind of mast to raise a camera well above the top of the waves. A detailed study of the liquids in the lake would have been the primary mission, not sending back stirring images of distant shores. And as important and interesting as is that science, if we had to make a choice, I guess I'd prefer getting the heat flow and seismic data from Mars first. Besides, a TiME-like probe could eventually be incorporated into an as-yet-undefined flagship mission to the outer planets. There likely won't be any further flagship-level missions to Mars in the near term, at least until we're ready to consider sample return. I like the idea of using a Discovery slot or two to fill in the gaps in our Mars dataset, to help us decide on the parameters of a potential MSR mission. It will take a great deal of time to pony up the resources to explore all the places we want to explore. I guess in this case, we should rejoice in what we can get and cultivate patience for what we didn't get this time around. Because, as with orbital trajectories, what goes around, comes around. -the other Doug -------------------- “The trouble ain't that there is too many fools, but that the lightning ain't distributed right.” -Mark Twain
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Lo-Fi Version | Time is now: 24th May 2024 - 03:55 AM |
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