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NASA selects and shortlists new planetary exploration probes

  • 06-06-2011 11:21am
    #1
    namloc1980
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 18,379 ✭✭✭✭


    NASA has recently selected the latest mission in it's New Frontiers Program. This program has already given us New Horizons, which is currently en route to a date with Pluto in 2015, and Juno which will be launched to Jupiter later this year. The new mission is called Osiris-Rex and it's mission is to return samples to Earth from an Earth-crossing ancient asteroid.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6XbYLGWmOs


    NASA has also short-listed 3 proposals for it's next Discovery Program mission. They are:

    1. Mars Geophysical Monitoring Station which would study the internal composition of Mars.

    mep20110505_PIA13990_GEMS-br.jpg

    2. Titan Mare Explorer will essentially float on the methane lakes of Titan and take samples for analysis etc.

    TSSM-TandEM-Lander.jpg

    3. Comet Hopper will rendezvous with a comet as it approaches the Sun and will land and hop off it multiple times to measure changes in it as it interacts with the solar wind.

    comethoppera.jpg


    One of these will be selected in early 2012 for flight in 2015/2016. If I was selecting one of these I'd go for the Titan lake lander. A boat on an alien sea would be awesome!


Comments

  • #2
    Beeker
    Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 3,645 Mod ✭✭✭✭Beeker


    namloc1980 wrote: »
    One of these will be selected in early 2012 for flight in 2015/2016. If I was selecting one of these I'd go for the Titan lake lander. A boat on an alien sea would be awesome!
    I'm with you on that one!:)


  • #3
    BULLER
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 340 ✭✭BULLER


    Fingers crossed on Titan lake, that would be by far the most exciting. Titan still remains very mysterious! It's no doubt also the most expensive option though so could be the least likely to be picked.


  • #4
    namloc1980
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 18,379 ✭✭✭✭namloc1980


    BULLER wrote: »
    Fingers crossed on Titan lake, that would be by far the most exciting. Titan still remains very mysterious! It's no doubt also the most expensive option though so could be the least likely to be picked.

    Well as a Discovery Program mission the costs are limited to $425m excluding launch vehicle. So I suppose if it looks like it's going to cost more than that it will be dropped. But seeing that it's short-listed there's a good chance that the NASA guys feel it can be done within that budget.


  • #5
    namloc1980
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 18,379 ✭✭✭✭namloc1980


    NASA today selected the Mars Geophysical Monitoring Station, re-named InSight, for development and flight in 2016. link here

    Disappointed that the Titan lake Lander missed out.


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