NASA Selects Inexpensive Space Project Candidates

coondoggie brings us a Networkworld report detailing NASA's selection of six mission proposals for further study by the Small Explorer (SMEX) Program. The goal of the program is to develop cheap, tightly focused science missions (PDF). Among the selected proposals are a satellite telescope bank for use in detecting exoplanets, and a solar coronograph which will study solar wind and coronal ejections. Networkworld provided links with more detailed information on most of the projects.

Comments

Guarunteed Pick

[milsoRgen]

Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS): TESS will use a bank of six telescopes to observe the brightest 2.5 million stars and discover more than 1,000 Earth-to-Jupiter-sized planets around them. That will certainly be approved, the press releases alone will pay for itself.

Re:Guarunteed Pick

[Vectronic]

"...and discover more than 1,000 Earth-to-Jupiter-sized planets around them."

I liked that part... how the hell do they know it will be more than 1,000? And how do they know what size?

If they are already aware that there is these planets, then wouldnt it be more accurate to say "and finally see over 1,000 planets that we already assume exist mathematically"?

Or is it working by an average, one telescope usually tends to find 184 planets, and for some reason they never exceed Jupiters size?

Re:Guarunteed Pick

[RobBebop]

1,000 is an impressive sounding number, but it is also realistic. HST has been working for many years and to my knowledge was only able to determine the locations of planets that were larger than Jupiter. Meanwhile, discoveries of "Earth-sized" planets remain rare despite the technology that has been developed within the decade. I believe if you search the Slashdot archives you'll find a sparse group of articles linking to a couple recent discoveries of planets that are smaller than Jupiter. These few discoveries pale in comparison to the opportunity to fund a project that promises to increase the rate at which they discover planets by approximately an order of magnitude.

Re:Guarunteed Pick

[TapeCutter]

"Then wouldnt it be more accurate to say "and finally see over 1,000 planets that we already assume exist mathematically"? Or is it working by an average, one telescope usually tends to find 184 planets, and for some reason they never exceed Jupiters size?"

When looking for political sponsors it's best to keep the explaination dramatic, simple, and confident. If that's not enough offer them naming rights for some of the new planets, maybe a ribbon cutting cermony for the rocket, a ride in an air-force jet,... Oh and don't forget the little flags, it's gotta have a little flag.

Seriously though I would like to see NASA drastically cut back on manned pipe dreams and put more effort into this kind of stuff, preferably with an eye toward cooperating vehicles for survey tasks such as a planet hunting interferometer, or monitoring the condition of our own planet (without the frickin' skynet lasers).

But will anyone care?

[QuantumG]

http://www.quantumg.net/exoplanets.php

Astronomers are using up their mainstream exoplanet currency very quickly. Already "we found another planet" is delegated to the "how about that" section of the news. Soon it won't even make that. So what happens when they find a really *interesting* planet?

Nothing.