Missions to the Ice Giants now very Likely!

[Adstri]

So this just happened:

https://www.nasa.gov/feature/nasa-completes-study-of-future-ice-giant-mission-concepts

I'm so excided! I'm already recreating the possible missions in KSP using Real Solar System.

What do you guys think? (About the actual NASA missions)

Edited June 22, 2017 by Adstriduum

[Starman4308]

Augustus linked a technical document in this thread:

Overall, I am hugely in favor of the idea; it's past time we studied the ice giants in detail, and I think a big, flagship probe mission to planets we've never orbited before is the perfect way for NASA to point out that their mission continues to be relevant and that NASA still has purpose, even when certain Senators decide that they'd like NASA to be a jobs program for them.

While I don't have RSS installed... I might try a similar mission profile in my own career; drop a probe at Nero using a parent orbiter as relay.

[Adstri]

  On 6/21/2017 at 2:40 AM, Starman4308 said:

-snip-

Overall, I am hugely in favor of the idea; it's past time we studied the ice giants in detail, and I think a big, flagship probe mission to planets we've never orbited before is the perfect way for NASA to point out that their mission continues to be relevant and that NASA still has purpose, even when certain Senators decide that they'd like NASA to be a jobs program for them.

-snip-

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The only thing I'm worried is time and resources... As far as I can tell we are running low on plutonium-238

Edited June 21, 2017 by Adstriduum

[tater]

Who doesn't want to send a probe to Uranus?

[RoadRunnerAerospace]

I personally think that Uranus is worth it to study, and i`m only thinking about Triton right now, as it has/had cryovolcanic activity, a metal core, etc. 

[kerbiloid]

  On 6/21/2017 at 3:01 AM, tater said:

Who doesn't want to send a probe to Uranus?

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No need to run deep, when they can just watch from aside.
Maybe the most intriguing thing in Uranus is the weather on a gas planet tilted 90°.

[Streetwind]

  On 6/21/2017 at 2:51 AM, Adstriduum said:

The only thing I'm worried is time and resources... As far as I can tell we are running low on plutonium-238

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They've actually started making more, though it will take a few years to ramp up to useful amounts.

Still, by the time this mission needs to be integrated, it should be more than ready.

[NSEP]

  On 6/21/2017 at 3:01 AM, tater said:

Who doesn't want to send a probe to Uranus?

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Yeah! I have a cool idea for an Uranus probe but i wont say it out loud...

[Streetwind]

Just stop mispronouncing it, problem solved  

[JadeOfMaar]

@Streetwind ikr?

 

[wumpus]

Are they going to name it Thor?  Considering the amount of human sacrifice to Odin, I'd strongly recommend Thor if going for a Norse name.  And it isn't that you can only use "classical" god names, I'm pretty sure gemini launched on Thor boosters.

[kerbiloid]

They would name it Thorium and launch to Uranium and Neptunium.

Plutonium is not in agenda now, as Horizonius Novus broke the rhyme.

[RoadRunnerAerospace]

  On 6/21/2017 at 1:17 PM, wumpus said:

Are they going to name it Thor?  Considering the amount of human sacrifice to Odin, I'd strongly recommend Thor if going for a Norse name.  And it isn't that you can only use "classical" god names, I'm pretty sure gemini launched on Thor boosters.

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Gemini launched on a titan rocket

[wumpus]

  On 6/22/2017 at 6:55 AM, FokkerAce said:

Gemini launched on a titan rocket

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I must have been thinking of  the Agena target vehicle, but that might have been launched by an Atlas (Agenas launched using both Thor and Atlas).  But certainly NASA has used the Thor name.

[tater]

Thor Agena (Agena was just the upper stage) evolved into Delta. I was never used for manned flight, though it was used for many probes.

[vger]

  On 6/21/2017 at 1:17 PM, wumpus said:

Are they going to name it Thor?  Considering the amount of human sacrifice to Odin, I'd strongly recommend Thor if going for a Norse name.  And it isn't that you can only use "classical" god names, I'm pretty sure gemini launched on Thor boosters.

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Naa. If they drop it into the atmosphere at the end of its run, the ice giant wins.

[Adstri]

I would name the mission to Uranus Herschel, and the one to Neptune Le Verrier with an atmospheric probe named Adams (I'm ripping off of Cassini-Huygens's mission name here.)

  On 6/22/2017 at 5:50 AM, kerbiloid said:

They would name it Thorium and launch to Uranium and Neptunium.

Plutonium is not in agenda now, as Horizonius Novus broke the rhyme.

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I see what you did there.  

[tater]

I'm pretty sure I'd not name a probe to Uranus after a person... the copy writes itself. Herschel visits/probes/enters Uranus?

[kerbiloid]

As this probe is something sent by Earth (or Gaia) to Uranus (or Ouranos), let's honour the classical mythology and name it "Sickle".

[RoadRunnerAerospace]

  On 6/22/2017 at 1:19 PM, wumpus said:

I must have been thinking of  the Agena target vehicle, but that might have been launched by an Atlas (Agenas launched using both Thor and Atlas).  But certainly NASA has used the Thor name.

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Yes they have, look up a Thor-able, its what launched explorer 6, and pioneer 1

[Adstri]

  On 6/23/2017 at 2:21 AM, kerbiloid said:

As this probe is something sent by Earth (or Gaia) to Uranus (or Ouranos), let's honour the classical mythology and name it "Sickle".

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Or Caelus .

Edited June 23, 2017 by Adstriduum

[NFUN]

  On 6/22/2017 at 3:58 PM, vger said:

Naa. If they drop it into the atmosphere at the end of its run, the ice giant wins.

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Odin is doomed to lose Ragnarok anyway.

[YNM]

  On 6/22/2017 at 11:16 PM, tater said:

I'm pretty sure I'd not name a probe to Uranus after a person... the copy writes itself. Herschel visits/probes/enters Uranus?

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"George III" would be even more daft.

 

[Guest]

  On 6/22/2017 at 2:02 PM, tater said:

Thor Agena (Agena was just the upper stage) evolved into Delta.

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The Delta upper stage was derived from the Able upper stage, not Agena.

Also, both. I'd accept fly-bys.

Edited June 30, 2017 by regex