New Frontiers 4: Argo? |
New Frontiers 4: Argo? |
Aug 21 2008, 01:36 AM
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Member Group: Members Posts: 723 Joined: 13-June 04 Member No.: 82 |
There does not appear to be a thread about this proposed New Frontiers mission, so I am starting this one. If there is an existing thread that I am unaware of, then by all means merge them.
Argo is a proposed outer solar system multiple flyby mission, rather like an updated Voyager mission, but based on the New Horizons bus, and using a similar instrument suite. It would launch between 2017 and 2019, with either a Jupiter / Neptune / KBO or a Trojan / Saturn / Neptune / KBO trajectory. Even a combined Jupiter / Saturn / Neptune / KBO trajectory is possible. Neptune would present a much different system than in 1989, as telescopic observations show a more dynamic Neptune atmosphere, due to the change in season, and much more of Triton and the other Neptune satellites would be visible (most of Triton's northern hemisphere was in darkness in 1989, but will be well lit in 2030). The second big payoff would be the vastly greater access to KBOs (~4000 times the accessable volume of New Horizons), with several already-known large KBOs (400km diameter or larger) within reach. The objects reachable with Argo are expected to include: 18 cold classical KBOs (interesting because they apparently formed in situ beyond Neptune's orbit, rather than further inward) 40 KBOs with diameters between 200km and 400km 9 KBOs with diameters greater than 400km several binary KBOs plus the possible Jupiter Trojan early in the mission. The wide expected range of choices allows for the selected KBO to be of very high scientific interest (and naturally, follow-on KBO targets could be selected after the primary KBO target has been selected). Typical flight times from launch to the Neptune flyby are about 10 years (Jupiter gravity assist) or 13 years (Jupiter Trojan flyby), with the large KBO flyby 2 or 3 years later. Expected cost including launch vehicle (according to the linked pdf): under $800M with the following strawman instrument package: High resolution visible camera: New Horizons (NH) or reduced Cassini heritage Near-IR spectrometer: NH heritage UV solar & stellar occ. spectrometer: reduced Cassini heritage Far-IR linear radiometer: Diviner heritage Magnetometer: replaces NH dust instrument Charged particle spectrometer: NH heritage Gimballed high-gain antenna: heritage radio science instrument The big uncertainty at this point seems to be the availability of plutonium-powered RTGs by the time of launch. |
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Guest_Enceladus75_* |
Nov 6 2008, 01:08 AM
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Guests |
Yes, I would love to see another landing on Venus (namely because I can't remember the original Russian ones at first hand...) and this time with a full panorama image taken of the lander's surroundings. Ideally if money was no limitation, there would be two or three landers, one on the volcanic plains, one on the tesserae and perhaps one close to a recently active volcano or in one of those coronae. NASA would do well to learn from the Russian Venera designs. They may not have been all that pretty, but they did their job.
But I am also very much in support of a new mission to Neptune using the existing NH platform. It was Voyager's flyby of Neptune that got me into space exploration and astronomy in the first place, back when I was an impressionable 14 year old. Why has NASA allowed its supply of RTG ready plutonium to get so low? Surely they realised that if they were to continue to explore the outer solar system there would need to be a corresponding supply of RTG material? Whilst I think it would be great if Cassini could explore another gas giant, I can't see this happening. Would it have the fuel to escape Saturn's gravity AND be captured by another planet? I also hope they don't crash Cassini into Saturn. Can't they leave it in a stable orbit so perhaps in the 22nd century or whenever humans eventually get out to Saturn they could collect and take it back home to a museum? |
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Nov 6 2008, 01:52 AM
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Junior Member Group: Members Posts: 95 Joined: 5-September 07 Member No.: 3662 |
Why has NASA allowed its supply of RTG ready plutonium to get so low? Surely they realised that if they were to continue to explore the outer solar system there would need to be a corresponding supply of RTG material? As I understand it, that's not NASA's decision to make. NASA has to get its plutonium from the Department of Energy, which maintains the only facility(ies) for processing the proper isotope of plutonium. There is a presentation linked to a few posts above about RTGs for deep space missions that explains the problem. IIRC, DoE can't produce the fuel at a rapid rate anymore; I believe it has to do with the decommissioning years ago of the principal facilities involved. Jeff |
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