NASA to hold press conference Monday Sept. 26 to present new Hubble findings about Europa

[Aethon]

http://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-to-hold-media-call-on-evidence-of-surprising-activity-on-europa

There is speculation the agency has again sighted Europas' elusive plumes, not seen since December 2012.

[Bill Phil]

Optimistically, this could lead to some more funding for a Europa mission. Optimistically. Realistically, probably not much effect, sadly. Can't wait till we get a probe there. Also, I would like to see these new findings...

[Streetwind]

Well, considering that the US Congress seems to have taken a liking to an Europa mission lately, chances are good that we'll get that probe soon

[Kryten]

One of the astronomers to be present at the conference has repeatedly been granted HST time to search for plumes, so that's almost certainly what it is. Particularly as he's had no less than four (one two three four) time grants for this search, for a total of 28 orbits-that's a lot of Hubble time, and they won't have given him it if nothing had turned up.

[_Augustus_]

The newest plan for the Europa mission is to have a lander as well. Can't wait for that...

[DDE]

1 minute ago, _Augustus_ said:

The newest plan for the Europa mission is to have a lander as well. Can't wait for that...

I wonder if that might get Lavockin's proposal out of the pie-in-the-sky category. A race between America and Russia for a Europa landing.

[_Augustus_]

22 minutes ago, DDE said:

I wonder if that might get Lavockin's proposal out of the pie-in-the-sky category. A race between America and Russia for a Europa landing.

Russia doesn't have the money, and they've never orbited Jupiter before. 

And Lavockin's proposal would land on Ganymede, anyway.

[KerbMav]

Exo-Dolphins confirmed!

 

[Kryten]

 

[Mitchz95]

6 minutes ago, Kryten said:

 

Exo-Dolphins not confirmed.

[KerbMav]

15 minutes ago, Mitchz95 said:

Exo-Dolphins not confirmed.

Booooh!

[kerbiloid]

Dolphins don't make elusive plumes. Exo-Whales do.

[Nuke]

my money is on exo-cuttlefish.

[monophonic]

Exo-dolphins could be colonists from Earth so they wouldn't technically count as aliens. Right?

[Diche Bach]

Haven't these people seen the movie!?

[Deadmanrunning]

A lander would be incredibly cool.

[Spaceception]

4 hours ago, Diche Bach said:

Haven't these people seen the movie!?

So don't land, punch a hole through the ice from orbit, and drop a sub, you technically didn't land

Edited September 24, 2016 by Spaceception

[ImmaStegosaurus!]

12 minutes ago, Spaceception said:

So don't land, punch a hole through the ice from orbit, and drop a sub, you technically didn't land

Isn't splash down considered a landing?

I remember someone planned to send unmanned, nuclear powered submarine there. It would land on ice, rev up the reactor and use excess heat to boil it's way through ice and eventually get to free water. I'd imagine sub would have to leave a transmitter on surface and lay wire as it goes down to have comms under ice. In water it could transmit acoustically it's findings to the relay "station" which would then beam interesting stuff back home.

[Waxing_Kibbous]

Frickin' Hubble man, if it was in KSP it would have farmed, like, 80 billion science by now. Amazing it is still cranking out highly relevant and new science after so many years, what a beast.

[Scotius]

12 hours ago, Waxing_Kibbous said:

Frickin' Hubble man, if it was in KSP it would have farmed, like, 80 billion science by now. Amazing it is still cranking out highly relevant and new science after so many years, what a beast.

Right on, dude And imagine what Webb Space Telescope can unveil with its bigger mirror and more advanced optics and computers. Good times for astronomy are going to be even better.

[Diche Bach]

Unbelievable how long some of these missions run: Opportunity, what? 12 years!? 12 YEARS!!! there are plenty of brand new fricking passenger cars on EARTH that cannot run that long without major repairs!!

What is Hubble up to these days? About that long or longer?

It is the nice thing about machines: they just keep on running as long as they don't break/run out of power/get stuck.

[Kryten]

Hubble was launched 26 years ago, but not much of it is actually that old due to the servicing missions.

[_Augustus_]

51 minutes ago, Diche Bach said:

Unbelievable how long some of these missions run: Opportunity, what? 12 years!? 12 YEARS!!! there are plenty of brand new fricking passenger cars on EARTH that cannot run that long without major repairs!!

What is Hubble up to these days? About that long or longer?

It is the nice thing about machines: they just keep on running as long as they don't break/run out of power/get stuck.

Well, brand new passenger cars on Earth don't cost hundreds of millions of dollars.

[Diche Bach]

10 hours ago, _Augustus_ said:

Well, brand new passenger cars on Earth don't cost hundreds of millions of dollars.

You know that is an interesting point. However, why do these items cost so much? Are the materials that rare? Is the workmanship that exceptional? Is the labor that specialized? Curious how low costs could be pushed without overly compromising quality if there was more of a market and/or something like real competition? I think I'll start a new thread on Prospecting the Solar System and use this point as the launching point.

Edited September 26, 2016 by Diche Bach
hyperlink

[NFUN]

On Wednesday, September 21, 2016 at 11:30 AM, Mitchz95 said:

Exo-Dolphins not confirmed.

48 minutes ago, Diche Bach said:

Is the workmanship that exceptional? Is the labor that specialized?

Yes.