Propose A Probe

[Skyler4856]

Target:

Ground Activities (if any):

Propulsion:

Goals:

Other:

[CalculusWarrior]

Target: Moho

Ground Activities: Probe the depths of a Mohole

Propulsion: liquid-fuelled, with nuclear transfer stage to get it to Moho

Goal: To survive the interior of a Mohole.

I'm unsure if you meant IRL or not, actually. Or even if this is the right thread. Oh well.

[DarkStar64]

Target: Titan

Ground Activities: Roving, Flying (In atmosphere), And swimming.

Propulsion: Ion thruster for getting to titan, Helium airbags for flying in atmosphere, wheels for ground travel, and balest tanks/electric motor for water travel.

Goals: To (hopefully) find some form of life on titan.

Also, can you guys help me find out the cost of the probe?

thanks!

-Mr. Dark

[Kerbin Dallas Multipass]

Target: Mars

Ground Activities (if any): Drill downwards

Propulsion: Photovoltaic

Goals: Analyze sediments

Other: Find life

EDIT> I understand that photovoltaic is not a propulsion. Use chemical rockets... I like the refurbished ICBMs peace.

Edited February 4, 2014 by Kerbin Dallas Multipass

[Space Viking]

Target: Titan

Ground Activities: Unmanned airplane performing in-flight observations.

Propulsion: Liquid-propellant for the spacecraft. The actual plane itself would by powered by a radioisotope power system.

Goal: Performing geographical and atmospheric studies of the moon.

Other: This is based an an actually proposed concept known as AVIATR.

[Rakaydos]

Target: Interstellar space, Alpha Centauri (with slingshot options from there to other destinations.)

Propulsion: Fission reactor + Solar powered Quantum Thruster (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantum_vacuum_plasma_thruster) for nearly infinite endurance. (at low ISP)

Goals: post-heliosphere intersteller medium tests, relativistic intersteller medium interactions, interstlar range parralax with ground observations, and eventally a close, relativistic flyby of another star.

Other: Relativistic interaction with the interstellar medium may require a level of aerodynamics. Also, the probe is not intended to slow down. It will keep accelerating until it fails to dodge something that can cripple it.

[TheDarkStar]

Target: Diving into the Sun

Propulsion: Ion Thrusters

Goals: Use a bi-elliptic transfer to get an orbit that crashes into the Sun.

Other: Highly efficient heatshields would also be used to prolong life at the end of the mission. This would provide some nearby footage of the Sun and be able to get a closer look than we can now. Also, preferably has a companion probe that doesn't dive all the way down to watch the sun-diving probe melt.

[Kryten]

Target: Diving into the Sun

Propulsion: Ion Thrusters

Goals: Use a bi-elliptic transfer to get an orbit that crashes into the Sun.

Other: Highly efficient heatshields would also be used to prolong life at the end of the mission. This would provide some nearby footage of the Sun and be able to get a closer look than we can now. Also, preferably has a companion probe that doesn't dive all the way down to watch the sun-diving probe melt.

There's already a funded program to get a probe extremely close to the sun. There's not a really a lot of benefit from destroying the probe versus potentially years of extra observations.

[acrain116]

Target: Saturn's ring system

Propulsion: N2O4/N2H4 bipropellant main engine, ion thrusters for smaller maneuvers and RCS

Goals: Orbit Saturn among several ring layers to gain visual scans of non-frozen-water-ice bodies in the ring system

Other: I realize this would be a very pointlessly risky mission and would require an extremely advanced controls system, but then again, I'm not planning a real flight

[Aghanim]

Target: Moon

Propulsion: Every reactionless drive mankind have invented (Mach Effect, quantum plasma, EmDrive, even VEEG drive )

Goals: To provide perfect test bench of reactionless drive

[Skyrunner27]

Target: Mars's moons

Propulsion: Liquid

Goal: Study and collect valuable data and test an aerocapture maneuver.

[NGTOne]

Target: Venus

"Ground" Activities: Hovering/powered flight in upper (1 ATM) Venusian atmosphere

Propulsion: Classical bipropellant engine in space, RTG-powered propellor in atmosphere, gas-based buoyancy system (think "blimp") for hovering

Goals: Investigate atmospheric properties of Venus, including weather patterns and wind patterns, and determine suitability of upper Venusian atmosphere for aerostat-based colonization

[Rakaydos]

Target: Moon

Propulsion: Every reactionless drive mankind have invented (Mach Effect, quantum plasma, EmDrive, even VEEG drive )

Goals: To provide perfect test bench of reactionless drive

To be fair, the Quantum Thruster isnt a reactionless drive, any more than the buzzard ramjet is. It just has an infinite fuel hack (again, just like the buzzard ramjet)

[fireflower]

Target: Any icy moon.

Ground Activities: Soft landing, melt through the ice, explore ocean.

Propulsion: Bimodal nuclear thermal rocket; switches to electric generation to power propellers underwater.

Goals: Characterize subsurface ocean. Find active geology. Sample and test water for microorganisms. Photograph macroorganisms.

Other: Will need to leave a RTG-powered com relay at both the top and bottom of the melt-tube, as well as a com sat in orbit.

[lajoswinkler]

Dang it, I was writing this over my phone few hours ago and it got deleted.

Target: Titan

Ground Activities: Orbiter throws down a probe into one of the hydrocarbon lakes. Probe sinks down and examines the bottom of the lake. After it collects enough data, it sucks some of the liquid into its flotation device and allows the RTG to boil it, inflating it and rising to the surface where it transmits to the orbiter.

Propulsion: RTG

Goals: Geochemical analysis, search for complex organic chemicals, visual examination of the environment.

Other: Sinking and rising could be done multiple times. Floating on the surface can be used to allow the winds to carry the probe on a different place, or the RTG can heat enough of the gas and propel the probe along the lake surface.

This is just a fun speculation. It might not be technologically feasible.

[Skyler4856]

Dang it, I was writing this over my phone few hours ago and it got deleted.

Target: Titan

Ground Activities: Orbiter throws down a probe into one of the hydrocarbon lakes. Probe sinks down and examines the bottom of the lake. After it collects enough data, it sucks some of the liquid into its flotation device and allows the RTG to boil it, inflating it and rising to the surface where it transmits to the orbiter.

Propulsion: RTG

Goals: Geochemical analysis, search for complex organic chemicals, visual examination of the environment.

Other: Sinking and rising could be done multiple times. Floating on the surface can be used to allow the winds to carry the probe on a different place, or the RTG can heat enough of the gas and propel the probe along the lake surface.

This is just a fun speculation. It might not be technologically feasible.

That's the whole point of this thread.

[fireflower]

Aeroscraft Cytherea Explorer Sample-return (ACES)

Target: Venus

Ground Activities: Drill samples for geological and isotope analysis and human retrieval.

Propulsion: Solar electric turboprops for horizontal motion; helium-filled envelope for vertical.

Goals: Determine the isotopic ratios Venus inherited from the solar nebula. Determine the age of Venus crust via isotope analysis. Find strata that reveal Venus past.

Other: An aeroscraft is a new kind of aircraft that varies its bouyancy by converting helium from gas in its envelope to liquid in its tanks (to lose buoyancy) and back again (to raise buoyancy). At maximum buoyancy it is designed to cruise at 50 km altitude (1 bar pressure, 300 K temperature) to travel the world, charge its batteries, record meteorological information, and sample the clouds. It reduces bouyancy to descend to the surface, where it anchors itself, drills a sample, and re-routes its liquid helium for coolant. Upon sample retrieval it re-routes its liquid helium from cooling to bouyancy, re-inflates its envelope, returns to the temperate region at 50 km, and repeats the process, eventually taking samples from all across the planet. When the lander's storage bay is full, its mother ship descends into the upper atmosphere, rendezvous with ACES, retrieves the samples, and burns for orbital velocity, eventually returning to Earth.

[Whirligig Girl]

Target: Jupiter

"Ground" Activities: sink down as far as possible.

Propulsion: NTR for spaceflight, RTG-Propellers and hot-hydrogen airbags for atmospheric flight.

Goals: Look deep into a gas giant, learn about liquid Hydrogen and maybe even metallic hydrogen.

Other: Must be EXTREMELY strong to hold up without being crushed in the miles and miles of atmosphere above it. If strong enough, descend and look at Metallic Hydrogen, perform experiments on it, etc. Search for any possible life forms such as floaters.

I'm not sure if any probe could ever be built strong enough to descend into a gas giant deep enough to visit the Metallic Hydrogen. Maybe some kind of force-field could protect the craft.

[lajoswinkler]

I'm not sure if any probe could ever be built strong enough to descend into a gas giant deep enough to visit the Metallic Hydrogen. Maybe some kind of force-field could protect the craft.

Sadly, it is impossible. There is not a distinct layer of metallic hydrogen in Jupiter as there is of water on Earth. Hydrogen just gets more and more dense supercritical fluid and then starts to be more and more conductive as you go deeper.

The temperature at the depths where metallic hydrogen starts to appear begins is around 9000-10000°C. Every chemical we know is gaseous at that temperature and even starts losing electrons. Even if the high pressure keeps it kind of solid, there isn't any conceiveable way of keeping the interior of the probe cool enough to be able to work. Even if it did, it could not communicate to Earth. Too much RF interference from all the currents.

[Idobox]

Target: Venus

Ground Activities:none, study the upper atmosphere in a balloon

Propulsion: whatever is the cheapest

Goals: Look for complex molecules in the most habitable zones of the atmosphere.

Other: Test possibility to build stuff from atmospheric carbon, to evaluate possibility of terraforming.

Target: Any icy moon.

Ground Activities: Soft landing, melt through the ice, explore ocean.

Propulsion: Bimodal nuclear thermal rocket; switches to electric generation to power propellers underwater.

Goals: Characterize subsurface ocean. Find active geology. Sample and test water for microorganisms. Photograph macroorganisms.

Other: Will need to leave a RTG-powered com relay at both the top and bottom of the melt-tube, as well as a com sat in orbit.

I disagree with the propulsion. If you have a nuclear reactor, you just need to pass a pipe through it to make a very efficient underwater and reliable propulsion system.

I'm not sure relays are the best solution. Ultra-low frequency RF might be easier to implement.

[DAL59]

On 2/3/2014 at 10:46 PM, Space Viking said:

Target: Titan

Ground Activities: Unmanned airplane performing in-flight observations.

Propulsion: Liquid-propellant for the spacecraft. The actual plane itself would by powered by a radioisotope power system.

Goal: Performing geographical and atmospheric studies of the moon.

Other: This is based an an actually proposed concept known as AVIATR.

Guess what: This is planned for launch in the 2020s!

http://dragonfly.jhuapl.edu/

[PB666]

Target:  My garage

Ground Activities (if any): Rolling, Stopping, Rolling, Stopping, etc.

Propulsion: Ford 4 cylinder Engine in a Probe

Goals: Global warming and Metabolic syndrome one bang and chug at a time

Other: Get Starbucks coffee, a crispy creme donut, Just hang a while, then home.

[DDE]

Target: Ganymede

Ground Activities (if any): crashing

Propulsion: 100 x 1.50 kt pulse charges, 12 x 0.75 kt pulse start-up charges

Goals: provide ejecta plume for remote spectroscopy via hypervelocity impact

[Spaceception]

Target: Enceladus

"Ground" Activities: use an internal RTG and/or drill to go through the ice, or if possible, enter through one of its geysers. Then swim around.

Propulsion: Chemical

Goals: To find life of course

[Ultimate Steve]

Target: Suborbital trajectory over Earth.

Space activities: Witness a sunrise over Earth.

Propulsion: 43kn liquid fueled kerolox engine and a solid fueled launch escape system/braking device.

Goals: Take @Ultimate Steve into space in a tiny spaceship and return him safely to Earth after watching a sunrise.

Other: I actually started designing this. Wishful thinking...