New Uranus mission proposal |
New Uranus mission proposal |
Dec 24 2013, 03:30 AM
Post
#1
|
|
Member Group: Members Posts: 316 Joined: 1-October 06 Member No.: 1206 |
Here, in Icarus today...
http://arxiv.org/abs/1312.6554 Abstract QUOTE The solar wind electric sail is a novel propellantless space propulsion concept. According to numerical estimates, the electric sail can produce a large total impulse per propulsion system mass. Here we consider using a 0.5 N electric sail for boosting a 550 kg spacecraft to Uranus in less than 6 years. The spacecraft is a stack consisting of the electric sail module which is jettisoned at Saturn distance, a carrier module and a probe for Uranus atmospheric entry. The carrier module has a chemical propulsion ability for orbital corrections and it uses its antenna for picking up the probe's data transmission and later relaying it to Earth. The scientific output of the mission is similar to what the Galileo Probe did at Jupiter. Measurement of the chemical and isotope composition of the Uranian atmosphere can give key constraints for different formation theories of the solar system. A similar method could also be applied to other giant planets and Titan by using a fleet of more or less identical electric sail equipped probes. P |
|
|
Jul 22 2015, 09:55 PM
Post
#2
|
|
Junior Member Group: Members Posts: 78 Joined: 20-September 14 Member No.: 7261 |
I seem to remember part of the issue/trade-off (and a easy decisive no) was the cost of keeping flight ops staff and DSN tracking time available to the mission for such a lengthy period.
|
|
|
Lo-Fi Version | Time is now: 22nd September 2024 - 05:04 PM |
RULES AND GUIDELINES Please read the Forum Rules and Guidelines before posting. IMAGE COPYRIGHT |
OPINIONS AND MODERATION Opinions expressed on UnmannedSpaceflight.com are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of UnmannedSpaceflight.com or The Planetary Society. The all-volunteer UnmannedSpaceflight.com moderation team is wholly independent of The Planetary Society. The Planetary Society has no influence over decisions made by the UnmannedSpaceflight.com moderators. |
SUPPORT THE FORUM Unmannedspaceflight.com is funded by the Planetary Society. Please consider supporting our work and many other projects by donating to the Society or becoming a member. |