[X] My Assistant

[Phil Stooke]

Our Special Correspondent writes:

"Latest OPAG update in...

Some mildly interesting stuff in it:"

http://www.lpi.usra.edu/opag/1_07_update.pdf

... and I put it here because there's more about Saturn in it than about other outer planets.

Phil

[gpurcell]

Very interesting, thanks for this.

My take away:
1) No chance of solving the choice between Saturn or Jupiter by knocking Titan or Enceledus down to NF status (Damn);
2) Titan Flagship baseline is a much sexier mission (ballon + lander + orbiter) AND demonstrates aerocapture, which seems to be ready to first trial;
3) Europa Explorer helps make up the loss of large scale images from the Galileo HGA failure (other than Io) in addition to Europa mapping coverage and lacks sexiness of a lander;
4) Jupiter System Observer seems much less salient than either of these;
5) Given the discussion of Enceladus in the NH cost study, it's tough to see how that mission profile (unavailable at the website) matches up well with either the Titan or Europa proposal;
6) ESAs projected "slices" of funding seem, not to put a fine on it, fantastical and unrealistic.

Given the demonstrated value of ground-truthing Titan, how likely is a Europa mission without that capability? And how do you pick that orbiter over the much more ambitious Titan proposal?

I think the winds are blowing for Titan on this selection....