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'.

[tasp]

To revise and extend my remarks,

Would a reusable 'upper stage' (like a Prometheus, or at least an uprated ion drive) be considered a little more palatable, perhaps to the funding committees in congress? If an orbiter, lander, and atmospheric probe were too much mass, in view of the reusablity, the mssion could be flown on multiple flights.

Combining a reusable upper stage 'tug' with the VEEGA type flybys would give us even more payload, and would have the advantage of an easier return to earth of the reusable stage. Add in aerobraking at earth (yoiks! the fur will fly in the media, aerobraking a nuclear stage in earth's atmosphere!!!!) and the payload this system could send to Jupiter and beyond, repeatedly, would keep JPL hopping for decades.

I guess I'm coming around to seeing the objections to this.

Sigh.