The MARGINAL Cost of Two More Cassini Craft (Re: Pluto Flyby)

From: Steve Harris sbharris_at_ROMAN9.netcom.com (sbharris_at_ix.netcom.com)
Date: 08/27/04 

Date: 26 Aug 2004 17:18:00 -0700

roamulus@go.com (Remus) wrote in message news:<119c7fdd.0408260408.74d66659@posting.google.com>...
> Pluto Flyby
>
> Is the 2006 Pluto mission dead?
>
> Or is a scaled down version still possible for that launch
> window?
>
> Does anyone have any good links or references on more
> recent developments?

I presume the relevent (easiest) Pluto launch window comes around
every 12 years or so, with Jupiter?

Here's my own related question: why the devil didn't we take advantage
of economies of multiple production, to make more than one
Cassini-style probe when we're doing the first one? We need the same
dang thing for Uranus and Neptune. You know they have to gear up to
make at least 2 (the one to launch, plus a backup for Earth
simulation). So what's the bill to simply make a couple more? I mean,
how much different from each other need these outer gas giant orbiter
thingies be? You could replace the Titan-entry probe with a Gallileo
Jupiter-style entry probe for the primaries. Or even more simply, to
save on mass and flight time (and maybe give place for another power
module), you could leave off the entry probe completely, and still
have an orbiter capable of a lot of good science. And the big
differences in arrival time would let the data teams still do both
planets in sequence, with plenty of time between.

I have the feeling that exploring Uranus and Neptune one at a time is
going to cost 10 times what it would have, had we spent just a few
more bucks up front.

Steve Harris

Relevant Pages

  • The MARGINAL Cost of Two More Cassini Craft (Re: Pluto Flyby)
    ... > Is the 2006 Pluto mission dead? ... I presume the relevent Pluto launch window comes around ... Jupiter-style entry probe for the primaries. ...
    (sci.space.policy)
  • The MARGINAL Cost of Two More Cassini Craft (Re: Pluto Flyby)
    ... > Is the 2006 Pluto mission dead? ... I presume the relevent Pluto launch window comes around ... Jupiter-style entry probe for the primaries. ...
    (sci.astro)
  • New Horizons Update - December 2005
    ... I have been working on seeing the United States fly a mission to Pluto ... flight hardware at the launch pad, we probably would not have had the ... * We conducted our final mission simulations and final spacecraft ...
    (sci.space.news)
  • New Horizons Update - January 24, 2006
    ... New Horizons is en route to Pluto. ... Opportunity that resulted in our selection to build and launch New ... correction in order to thread that needle at Jupiter. ...
    (sci.space.news)
  • Clyde Tombaugh Goes To Pluto
    ... "Super Fast Spacecraft Zooms Toward Pluto ... the planet Pluto lifts off from launch pad 41 at the Cape Canaveral Air ...
    (soc.culture.baltics)
Quantcast