Outer planets choice is narrowed

Me want more data on Titan! Me want more! Me want more!

I sound like a little kid.
 
Titan's had too much attention, it'll be demanding royalty payments soon. Jupiter's used to bits and pieces from Earth being lobbed at it, Giotto I think?
Not to mention the odd comet.

Hoefully they can do both, ten years away yet.

N.
 
I personally think, Jupiter could need some better treatment again, but if NASA already does it, it would not be really necessary to send a second probe. What would be an interesting question for design... could it be possible to launch two probes at a planet with the same upper stage?
 
Urwumpe said:
I personally think, Jupiter could need some better treatment again, but if NASA already does it, it would not be really necessary to send a second probe. What would be an interesting question for design... could it be possible to launch two probes at a planet with the same upper stage?
Click to expand...
If Piper's listening, there's an idea for his next Chapman Challenge...
 
Urwumpe said:
I personally think, Jupiter could need some better treatment again, but if NASA already does it, it would not be really necessary to send a second probe. What would be an interesting question for design... could it be possible to launch two probes at a planet with the same upper stage?
Click to expand...

Sure, it would be no different then sending one probe that's twice the mass.
 
I would like to see the Titan mission happen. Maybe we can build a little submarine to see if there is something in that ocean.
 
I would prefer the Europa Jupiter System Mission. But then the other way around: ESA doing the Europa Orbiter and NASA the Ganymede Orbiter... ;)

Anyway, I would say that the moon Europa is far more interesting than anything else, including Ganymede. So wouldn't it be even better to have a NASA/ESA joined mission to Europa? For example, one orbiter and a lander. If the lander is more advanced, it would be wonderful to be able to look below Europa's surface, to see what's in this warm liquid water.
But now the article states that Titan also could have liquid water below the surface? Anyway, I think Jupiter/Europa deserves some attention now!
 
Didn't both agencies already research systems to drill through the ice? I think both are qualified, but I would prefer a more balanced mission. Leaving Ganymede to Europe is bad.. we are called Europa here and we have all rights to go there.

What about using three missions with two probes? Ganymede and Europa could easily be observed from Orbit with the same probe, if you use Weak Stability Boundary trajectories.
 
What about using three missions with two probes? Ganymede and Europa could easily be observed from Orbit with the same probe, if you use Weak Stability Boundary trajectories.
Click to expand...

I like the two-probe idea.

I wonder if anyone could try to model that in TransX, and see how much Dv they used.

I'm not so sure about landing stuff on Europa. It has, I think, the highest chance of any object in the solar system other then Earth for life. It would be bad if we went there and covered the place in our germs, or worse, found life and then accidentally kill it all with our germs.

Titan amazes me. I wish it could be given the attention we've given Mars. I'd love to see a Titan rover.
 
T.Neo said:
I'm not so sure about landing stuff on Europa. It has, I think, the highest chance of any object in the solar system other then Earth for life. It would be bad if we went there and covered the place in our germs, or worse, found life and then accidentally kill it all with our germs.
Click to expand...
I'm not quite sure if I understand what you mean. You're saying that it has a high chance of life, so you also mean it's actually a very interesting place in the solar system (besides earth).

So you do agree that landing on Europa would be interesting.. Delaying this landing doesn't make sense to me? It can be done right now, or in 100 years. In other words: what would delaying a landing on Europa solve to the risk of contaminating it?

regards,
mcduck
 
I'm not quite sure if I understand what you mean. You're saying that it has a high chance of life, so you also mean it's actually a very interesting place in the solar system (besides earth).

So you do agree that landing on Europa would be interesting.. Delaying this landing doesn't make sense to me? It can be done right now, or in 100 years. In other words: what would delaying a landing on Europa solve to the risk of contaminating it?
Click to expand...

I guess, maybe. I just think we should be very, very careful when messing around with an enivronment like that. I don't suggest delaying a Europa landing, just ensuring to take precautions.

Maybe a couple of years orbiting around Jupiter will fry any stray microbes with that radiation...
 
wait... Titan has water?

_45398637_ball_nasa_226.jpg
 
Bj said:
wait... Titan has water?
Click to expand...

No, oceans of liquid methane and other hydrocarbons. But Titan is the only other body in the solar system, where we have observed liquid on the surface.
 
T.Neo said:
It would be bad if we went there and covered the place in our germs, or worse, found life and then accidentally kill it all with our germs.
Click to expand...

Would a complete vacuum and intense radiation for 6 years of traveling around the sun deal not with this?
 
lennartsmit said:
Would a complete vacuum and intense radiation for 6 years of traveling around the sun deal not with this?
Click to expand...

Not good enough. It is known that germs can survive such punishment for years in their cyst form, and just one germ can be enough. Also, one terrestrial germ can ruin your measurements.
 
- Bump -
News on this subject:

NASA and ESA prioritise outer planet missions

At a meeting in Washington last week, NASA and ESA officials decided to first pursue a mission to study Jupiter and its four largest moons, and plan for another mission to visit Saturn's largest moon, Titan, and Enceladus.
Click to expand...
http://www.esa.int/esaSC/SEMPHEWX3RF_index_0.html


Looks like Jupiter (+moons) is going to win...
(of course only after we called them & forced them to choose Jupiter/Europa ;))
 
T.Neo said:
With financial concerns, developments times, and flight periods, I dread to think how long it will be until another Titan mission flies. :(
Click to expand...

Also, the last Titan mission is not even cold yet. ;)
 
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