Outer Planet Flagship Selection & Definition Options

[vjkane]

Given the renaming of the forum to Exploration Strategy to discuss mission selection and definition, I thought I'd create this new discussion thread to continue the discussions that had previously been in the Outer Solar System > Jupiter forum. Since the options are either Jupiter or Saturn as targets, this seems to be a more suitable place.

I repeat here a previous post to the old forum with a link to the latest status report on the selection and definition:

An August update on the two possible outer planet missions has been posted at: http://www.lpi.usra.edu/opag/flagshipOPF08.pdf

Both concepts are maturing and both look very feasible with compelling science. (I'm glad that I don't have to decide!) Report is only on the U.S. orbiter elements.

Some highlights:

Mission costs are being allowed to increase by a few hundred million dollars to enable more capable instrument packages.

Selection between Jovian and Saturnian system destination is now Feb 2009.

Risks for the Saturn mission are much lower (but appear to apply only to the orbiter element). Europa mission appears to have higher risk elements (assuming same scale used for both) because of the radiation environment.

Current plan for the Titan in situ elements is to release them early in the Saturn Titan tour, which means a long period (12-18 months?) with only periodic relay by the orbiter and direct communication with Earth used in between.

[Mariner9]

Really? I didn't realize that there were some concerns in advance about the Gusev landing site. Clearly it didn't turn out to be an ancient lake bed as hoped, but I thought that was completely determined after the fact and no one had raised concerns before hand. I'm not excluding the possibility, I just hadn't heard that before now (which is why I love this site, I'm always learning things). If you run across a resource for that debate I'd love a link to it. If it was covered on this board, I probably missed it because there is so much to follow over on the Mars forums.

[JRehling]

[...]

[Vultur]

Would a Europa mission be reasonably able to detect sub-ice life? If not, I think we'd learn more from Titan; if so, then I personally would make that target #1 in the solar system. Isn't it the most likely place to find life?

[ngunn]

Would a Europa mission be reasonably able to detect sub-ice life?

The short answer is no. It's not one of the currently proposed mission's objectives and probably couldn't be attempted yet even if unlimited funds were available.

[ugordan]

It's nitpicking, but if unlimited funds were available... well, let's just say people in 1961 didn't believe landing a man on the Moon was possible either;)

[Greg Hullender]

It's nitpicking, but if unlimited funds were available... well, let's just say people in 1961 didn't believe landing a man on the Moon was possible either;)

I know at least one who did. :-)

http://history.nasa.gov/moondec.html

--Greg