OPAG Reports, Formal proposals/evaluations of future outer SS missions Options

[ugordan]

That word "sent" was rather loosely used, but it was meant in the sensed of "launched". Huygens piggy-backed on what is mainly a NASA probe (Cassini) launched by a NASA rocket.

If we're going to be pedantic, Cassini wasn't launched on a NASA rocket. It was launched on a U.S. Air Force rocket. Just as much as Huygens hitched a ride on Cassini, so did NASA hitch a ride on a Lockheed-built vehicle. We could go on about this who-did-what all day.

[djellison]

I've deleted two posts. ESA's ability to build or launch a spacecraft to survive beyond the orbit of Mars is entirely proven and certainly not worthy of Stephen's remarks.

[mchan]

NASA was to have contributed a separate spacecraft to the International Solar Polar Mission. NASA did not get funding for the US spacecraft and had to bow out of its contribution to the mission which left a bad impression with ESA. ESA continued with its own spacecraft despite the NASA cancellation.

[Roly]

Are there any updates that have emerged from the July OPAG meeting or the OPFM workshop? The reports have yet to be posted, but I was curious as to whether there was any news on the budget, or instrument selection etc. Some of the abstracts for the OPFM workshop looked interesting, especially that on a proposed camera, which suggested a possible improvement from the stawman 1m/pix at 100km to 0.5m at 100km.

If anyone had an update on any Outer Planets Flagship news, that would be great.

Roly

[vjkane]

If anyone had an update on any Outer Planets Flagship news, that would be great.

As of this morning the OPAG meeting presentations had not been posted. Check out http://futureplanets.blogspot.com/2009/07/...iable-mars.html for budget news. It's not good.