[X] My Assistant

[ngunn]

Has anybody got a handy list of what's in store for 2009/10? I've looked at Emily's extended tour page, but it doesn't include what kind of obsevations are planned for the various flybys.

[sci44]

Just spotted this:

Cassini team ask for mission extension through to 2017

"The things that is magic about seven more years is that Saturn will reach its northern hemisphere's summer solstice," said Robert Mitchell.

[Tom Tamlyn]

There was discussion in an earlier thread concerning the pros and cons of a short but glorious two year extension, with lavish expenditure of remaining fuel, or a more parsimonious approach. E.g., this post and replies. The article suggests that the mission is now promoting the longer approach, although I imagine that it has proposed a full range of possible mission lengths for NASA to consider.

Putting more important considerations aside, I'm wondering about the possibility that when Juno arrives in Jupiter's orbit in 2016, there may be an active mission at every one of the five classical planets:

Saturn -- Cassini
Jupiter -- Juno
Mars -- Some combination of orbiters and landers
Venus -- VEX super-extended mission? JAXA orbiter?
Mercury -- Messenger extended mission?

TTT