I'm back from the Europa Focus Group meeting... |
I'm back from the Europa Focus Group meeting... |
Guest_BruceMoomaw_* |
Mar 1 2006, 07:33 AM
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#1
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Guests |
...which I decided to attend literally at the last possible minute, which is why I didn't alert you guys in advance. Very interesting -- both the discussions about the likely design of the mission (and how to retrieve it from cancellation), and many of the actual science presentations (which aren't on the Web yet, although they probably soon will be). I'll give you some more information tomorrow -- although I can't resist telling Alex that Tom Spilker's subgroup took my ideas about a Europa penetrator, and the printed information I gave them on the subject, seriously enough to recommend making further inquiries to NASA HQ on it. (And without my browbeating them, either. Nyaah.) The case for it, however, is still extremely far from certain.
As I say, more tomorrow. |
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Guest_BruceMoomaw_* |
Mar 7 2006, 10:34 PM
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#2
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Guests |
Correction: the spectral resolution of the Keck spectra was only 18 times better than Galileo's -- not 66 times better. That's still a lot better, and Spencer said he's abandoned his hopes that New Horizons' long-distance spectra of Europa might tell us anything new about its composition.
Nope, I have nothing on the volume of the Luna airbags. While, we're on the subject of salt, one EGU abstract ( http://www.cosis.net/abstracts/EGU06/04537/EGU06-J-04537.pdf ) says that Cassini's dust analyzer has pegged the composition of the dust particle streams being spewed out by Io -- while they contain some sulfur and potassium compounds, they're mostly just plain old NaCl. Io is sprinkling table salt all over the Solar System. |
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