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Pluto Mission Approved

Posted by michael on from the wild-black-yonder dept.

JimPooley writes "The BBC are reporting here that a budget of $30 million has been approved by the US House and Senate conference committee to develop the mission to Pluto. They also agreed to fully fund future missions to Mars, and gave the go-ahead for a probe to orbit Europa."

1 of 17 comments (clear)

  1. Timing. by Man+of+E · · Score: 2, Interesting
    the mission to Pluto cannot launch until 2006
    and
    Mission times, depending on the launch vehicle selected, will be from 10-12 years
    but..
    any further delay in sending a probe would have meant losing the chance of seeing Pluto's atmosphere before it froze and condensed in 2015

    Now add the years. Launch in 2006, + 10 mission years = 2016. By then, Pluto will be nothing but a great big block of ice. Did NASA forget how to add? Am I missing something?

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