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NASA Exploring 8 New Space Expeditions

Posted by samzenpus on from the a-whole-lot-of-exploring-going-on dept.

coondoggie writes "NASA is trying to decide among eight space exploration missions that include further exploring Venus and comet composition as well landing on an asteroid or examining the space around Jupiter. The space agency today began accepting solicitations for these space exploration opportunities and will ultimately pick one of them to begin perusing in 2009 with a launch date targeted at 2018. The solicitations and ultimate expedition are part of NASA's New Frontiers program, which has as its main objective to explore the solar system with medium-class spacecraft missions that will conduct high-quality, focused scientific investigations, NASA said. The first New Frontiers mission was selected in 2003 and will result in the launch of Juno, a Jupiter polar orbiter mission set to blast off in 2011."

11 of 106 comments (clear)

  1. Left off the list.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    #9 Locate and retrieve the lost toolset

    1. Re:Left off the list.... by GradiusCVK · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Okay, seriously? Europa. Come on NASA, pretty much the entire scientific agrees... we want to know more about Europa. Just do it already.

  2. 50 Billion dollars by symbolset · · Score: 4, Insightful

    That's what Detroit wants this year. If we gave it to NASA instead I would consider the money better spent.

    And if they threw in the rest of the 350 Billion they haven't stolen yet in the TARP, I could go for that too.

    I bet with 400B NASA could come up with an electric car. I doubt Detroit could.

    --
    Help stamp out iliturcy.
    1. Re:50 Billion dollars by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      Or we could outsource to some other countries and save some money there. India's moon mission was the cheapest. Just an interesting thought!

    2. Re:50 Billion dollars by AmberBlackCat · · Score: 4, Funny

      But I'd settle for the RIAA being declared a terrorist organization...

  3. Posed this question... by AmigaHeretic · · Score: 5, Informative

    ... to the 5th grade class that I teach. It's unanimous, NASA should go to Uranus and look for Klingons.

    Some things never change.

  4. Blimps, please? by 4D6963 · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I want to see balloons dropped into the atmosphere of planets. Particularly giant planets. Best pick would probably be Saturn, but I'm sure we could learn interesting about Uranus if we sent a balloon there. And Neptune too, although I'm afraid the winds are a bit too violent there. Jupiter would also be great but I'm afraid the superior "surface" gravity there would make it harder.

    I wonder if you could also do that on Venus (too hot maybe?) or Titan.

    Oh and to clarify my idea : the balloons/blimps would stay aloft for months on end, going up and down in the atmosphere on command to study different altitudes, drifting off the winds, telling us more about them, performing all the analyses possible, and not just about the atmosphere but also (why not) the magnetic field and whatever else might be interesting. And of course a good colour camera, so we can see what it looks like from there, see the clouds, thunderstorms, the moons through the coloured atmosphere, boreal auroras, and so on.. That would be pretty exciting.

    --
    You just got troll'd!
    1. Re:Blimps, please? by chaoticgeek · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Correct me if I'm wrong but I thought the idea of that would be hard to accomplish in the first place. Your talking about something like a weather balloon correct? I was watching some science channel show where they were talking about that idea, but it would be hard because a large portion of Saturn or Jupiter is made up of hydrogen and helium gas, and to get a gas lighter than that is kind hard.

      Unless you were to heat hydrogen or helium in order to make it lighter than the hydrogen or helium that is currently in the atmosphere. Other than that you would have to create a new element that had an atomic mass smaller than hydrogen which I'm not sure if it is possible to even do. Atomic mass of 0 would be an interesting element for sure.

      Then again I could be wrong, and if so let me know because that would be interesting.

      --
      hello
  5. Venus Balloon Mission by MozeeToby · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Should be relatively cheap and reliable hardware. While the surface is the definition of a hellish landscape, the cloud tops of Venus are the only place in the solar system (other than Earth of course) with temperatures and pressures that humans could survive in. Not only is that interesting from a human habitation standpoint, but the mild conditions should also improve the lifespan of the balloon probe itself. Sure, you can't dig in the dirt like the Mars rovers can, but you will see a heck of a lot more of the planet from the air than on the ground.

  6. We'll be fine by dreamchaser · · Score: 4, Funny

    If we discover a large meteor heading straight towards Earth, we might only have a few months to get a rocket up and detonate the target off its course. All other missions pale in comparison to one that could save humanity. I don't think we should focus on particular missions within our solar system, so much as the ability to launch a successful ground-to-asteroid mission within weeks, if need be...

    Don't fret so much. There's always Bruce Willis.

  7. What I'd like by Thanshin · · Score: 4, Funny

    Hellow fellow humans,

    I want the humans to send a ship with lots of titanium and plutonium to a spot behind mars where no alien fleet is hidden.

    Thank you.

    Gahrull the devastator.
    Ministry of Discovery and Invasion.
    All hail the Imperial Queen.