Neptune Orbiter, Another proposed mission Options

[Rob Pinnegar]

This seems like a good place to start off the Uranus and Neptune forum: with the next ice-giants mission.

I will admit to not knowing a whole lot about the Neptune Orbiter With Probes (NOWP), other than the fact that it's in the planning stages, and a few other details I've gathered from Wikipedia and various other Internet sources. Anyone care to get this one going with a bit more information?

[RNeuhaus]

The trip to planets beyond than Saturn, I think the project would be most benefical to launch a big rocket along with three or four orbiters in which they are going to be dropped on each planet (Uranus, Triton, Neptune, or others) on its fast way toward a KBO... it might need a rocket which is capable to send around 10 TM to the space.

The trip to these planet is of very long time so it is very desirable that a rocket would be capable to send multiples probes, orbiters or landers in one shot.

Rodolfo

[tasp]

The trip to planets beyond than Saturn, I think the project would be most benefical to launch a big rocket along with three or four orbiters in which they are going to be dropped on each planet (Uranus, Triton, Neptune, or others) on its fast way toward a KBO... it might need a rocket which is capable to send around 10 TM to the space.

The trip to these planet is of very long time so it is very desirable that a rocket would be capable to send multiples probes, orbiters or landers in one shot.

Rodolfo

Prometheus would make a great 'carrier' type vehicle. It could send a heavy orbiter, probe, lander, and retro stage on it's way to Neptune, then return to earth for a refuel, and another payload to 'fling to the nether reaches'.

[JRehling]

Prometheus would make a great 'carrier' type vehicle.  It could send a heavy orbiter, probe, lander, and retro stage on it's way to Neptune, then return to earth for a refuel, and another payload to 'fling to the nether reaches'.

Prometheus is canceled, and the reasons for that ought to speak to the idea of putting multiple orbiters on a single launch -- extraordinarily unrealistic.

Prometheus offered lots of electricity, but remember, that's not unlimited thrust. You still need to have some sort of fuel to push off against, and when that mass becomes enormous, so does the requirement of how much chemical thrust is needed to put the thing into space (from Earth's surface) in the first place.

Prometheus was already wildly unrealistic.

I think there's plenty of useful reality-based discussion we can have before we plan the 24th century's missions.