NASA Europa Missions, projects and proposals for the 2020s |
NASA Europa Missions, projects and proposals for the 2020s |
Mar 17 2017, 01:35 AM
Post
#91
|
|
Merciless Robot Group: Admin Posts: 8784 Joined: 8-December 05 From: Los Angeles Member No.: 602 |
ADMIN NOTE: As a reminder to esp. our newer members, please remember rule 1.2 at all times before posting. No politics, everybody. Thanks!
-------------------- A few will take this knowledge and use this power of a dream realized as a force for change, an impetus for further discovery to make less ancient dreams real.
|
|
|
Mar 17 2017, 04:57 AM
Post
#92
|
|
Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 2090 Joined: 13-February 10 From: Ontario Member No.: 5221 |
There's not much news here in terms of the lander component anyway, since there's always negotiation before any proposed budget actually passes. The Planetary Society has a good overview. In the meantime, we can discuss other details...
|
|
|
Mar 18 2017, 04:06 PM
Post
#93
|
|
Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 2530 Joined: 20-April 05 Member No.: 321 |
There's not much news here in terms of the lander component anyway, since there's always negotiation before any proposed budget actually passes. Agreed. The last launch for a Jupiter+Europa mission, Galileo, was in 1989 so I'm not too concerned about a shakeup in plans for the mission after the next one. One might say that planning now for a Europa mission could even be premature when we don't know what EMM will find. We've seen portions of Europa's surface at respectably high resolution, but it's not out of the question that a thorough reconnaissance will identify landing sites that require different engineering and science specs than anything we know of now. Moreover, the tentative identification of time-varying geyser activity really broadens the possibilities for what the next step at Europa might be. In accessing aqueous materials that have recently been in contact with the ocean and/or lens melt lakes, there are potentially several very different targets: 1) A surface location where liquid water from below has recently risen and frozen. 2) A surface location where geyser outflow is falling in the current time frame. 3) A geyser fly-through and sample return. Moreover, there's some potential synergy here with Enceladus exploration. It's a bit sad that the delays between missions are significant fractions of a human lifetime, but it's important that the second mission is planned better rather than sooner. |
|
|
Mar 18 2017, 10:01 PM
Post
#94
|
|
Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 1276 Joined: 25-November 04 Member No.: 114 |
Im confused is the Europa Clipper mission still happening?
I thought it was Cancelled? |
|
|
Mar 18 2017, 10:21 PM
Post
#95
|
|
Merciless Robot Group: Admin Posts: 8784 Joined: 8-December 05 From: Los Angeles Member No.: 602 |
Europa Clipper is on. The putative Europa Lander is currently not funded.
-------------------- A few will take this knowledge and use this power of a dream realized as a force for change, an impetus for further discovery to make less ancient dreams real.
|
|
|
Mar 19 2017, 12:23 AM
Post
#96
|
|
Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 2517 Joined: 13-September 05 Member No.: 497 |
Europa Clipper is on. The putative Europa Lander is currently not funded. To be clear, Clipper recently passed its Key Decision Point-B review but it doesn't move forward into implementation until KDP-C. I don't personally consider a mission to be "on" until after KDP-C. The lander never was funded for real so it couldn't be "cancelled" -- there are still technology development programs that are funded and have some applicability for the lander; e.g., https://nspires.nasaprs.com/external/viewre...bstracts%20.pdf -------------------- Disclaimer: This post is based on public information only. Any opinions are my own.
|
|
|
Mar 19 2017, 10:40 PM
Post
#97
|
|
Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 2530 Joined: 20-April 05 Member No.: 321 |
Perhaps a source of confusion: There was a mission concept called Europa Ice Clipper that involved an impactor and a sample return. That concept was never funded and is not currently active.
The mission concept that is currently active was tentatively called Europa Multiple-Flyby Mission. That has formally been named, very recently, Europa Clipper. Other than the name and the world that's being targeted, there's little relationship between the two missions. |
|
|
Mar 20 2017, 12:11 AM
Post
#98
|
|
Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 2517 Joined: 13-September 05 Member No.: 497 |
The mission concept that is currently active was tentatively called Europa Multiple-Flyby Mission. FWIW, not by anybody I ever heard talking about it. I think Europa Clipper was a semi-official name used for the latest concept of a lower-cost multiple-flyby mission that took over when the Europa orbiter was decided to be too expensive. One could do some history on OPAG minutes and such like if one really cared. At any rate, it's now officially Europa Clipper and I guess we'll see if it ever happens. -------------------- Disclaimer: This post is based on public information only. Any opinions are my own.
|
|
|
Mar 20 2017, 05:14 AM
Post
#99
|
|
Founder Group: Chairman Posts: 14433 Joined: 8-February 04 Member No.: 1 |
Yeah...what's now called Clipper was known as Clipper really from the outset....we even called it that when I added it to Eyes on the Solar System. Then from on high it was decided it just be called 'The Europa Mission' and we all tried to remember NOT to call it Clipper, Now....it's Clipper again.
|
|
|
Mar 20 2017, 05:32 PM
Post
#100
|
|
Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 2530 Joined: 20-April 05 Member No.: 321 |
Thanks for further clarification on the naming issue. I was pointing out just one source of confusion – there's been quite a mishmash of mission concepts and names.
The Europa Ice Clipper proposal was not for a lander + sample return – the combination of delta-v and radiation shielding would be very problematic. The Europa Ice Clipper idea was for an impactor to hit the surface and throw up a cloud of material that would allow mid-flight collection of a sample by a craft that would never enter Europa nor even Jupiter orbit and would return to Earth on a direct-return solar orbit. This is sort of a mashup of Deep Impact and Stardust, avoiding the problem of the delta-v associated with landing and return. A similar concept was earlier proposed for Mercury and a fly-through sample return from Enceladus' plumes has also been discussed. |
|
|
Mar 21 2017, 04:58 AM
Post
#101
|
|
Merciless Robot Group: Admin Posts: 8784 Joined: 8-December 05 From: Los Angeles Member No.: 602 |
Four posts that were wandering OT removed. Topic title edited for clarity.
-------------------- A few will take this knowledge and use this power of a dream realized as a force for change, an impetus for further discovery to make less ancient dreams real.
|
|
|
Feb 25 2018, 09:29 PM
Post
#102
|
|
Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 1643 Joined: 5-March 05 From: Boulder, CO Member No.: 184 |
Some presentations on Europa mission instrumentation were shown at the recent OPAG meeting, including a Micro-Raman spectrometer for a possible lander. Also an update on mission planning status in this tweet from Emily. The Critical Design Review mentioned there is in late 2019.
-------------------- Steve [ my home page and planetary maps page ]
|
|
|
Apr 4 2018, 02:58 PM
Post
#103
|
|
Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 2530 Joined: 20-April 05 Member No.: 321 |
According to various sources, the recent NASA budget requests include increased funding for planetary exploration, including funding for a Europa Lander to follow Europa Clipper (or for the two missions to run concurrently).
Meanwhile, on the planning side, there has been some iteration on the design of such a lander. http://spacenews.com/europa-lander-concept...and-complexity/ I have only barely dared to believe that a Europa Lander might occur in the next ~15 years, but there are some encouraging signs now pointing that way. |
|
|
May 12 2018, 05:07 AM
Post
#104
|
|
Member Group: Members Posts: 315 Joined: 1-October 06 Member No.: 1206 |
|
|
|
May 12 2018, 06:06 AM
Post
#105
|
|
Merciless Robot Group: Admin Posts: 8784 Joined: 8-December 05 From: Los Angeles Member No.: 602 |
Doesn't look like a press release, just a general Q&A. Might be some nuggets about Europa Clipper and maybe something about the status of lander studies, but wouldn't expect anything momentous.
-------------------- A few will take this knowledge and use this power of a dream realized as a force for change, an impetus for further discovery to make less ancient dreams real.
|
|
|
Lo-Fi Version | Time is now: 5th June 2024 - 03:32 AM |
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. |