Vessel Neptune Orbiter

[rseferino]

I want to know if anyone has interested you this project, the Neptune Orbiter proposed in 2005 by several NASA centers (Ames, JPL, Johnson, Langley and Marshall).

The mission was Aerocapture technique to be placed in orbit around Neptune without spending a gram of propellant. The heat shield that would protect a supporting vehicle body ellipsoid shaped.

The probe, with a launch mass of 4780 kg, was to be launched in 2015 or 2017 by a Delta IV Heavy rocket and reach Neptune after twelve years of travel and after flying Jupiter, although other paths that included an additional flyby were also studied Venus. Should include two atmospheric probes capable of supporting up to one hundred bars of pressure.

Once in the system Neptune orbiter, with a mass of 1900 kg, deploy a communications antenna high gain of 4.2 meters in diameter.

http://www.lpi.usra.edu/opag/jun_05_meeting/presentations/OPAG_Neptune_API1.pdf

 

[Pipcard]

It's almost like taking an X-37B there.

 

[Kyle]

I'd like to see this. Neptune is very much under-explored.

 

[rseferino]

It's almost like taking an X-37B there.

Not surprised you, I did a test with X-37B on a Delta IV.

 

[statickid]

THAT PROBE IS AWESOME!!!

interestingly... that is pretty much the exact flight profile I use returning from the moon in the xr-2, except after I circularize in LEO it's to wait for a landing alignment