Which space mission would you choose?

[vorlon13]

There are a couple of very interesting Uranus orbiter mission designs that have been proposed.

One utilizes a similar technique employed with the Galileo Jupiter mission where a close flyby with a specific geometry of a given moon on one orbit deflects the probe to another or same moon on the next orbit for another very close flyby, which can be designed to send it to yet another target.

It turns out the Uranus system is scaled very closely in sizes/masses/distances to the Jupiter system, and a very similar mission can be flown there. The science payoff would be considerable with numerous flybys, and the mission design is very frugal with maneuvering fuel so the potential of having an active orbiter at Uranus for a significantly long period of time is very exciting.

[Anomalocaris]

Manned mission to mars.  Send the WLB after he is impeached for treason.

Not at $100000 per pound.  Better to use the weight for valuable instruments, and leave WLB directly under the booster nozzle.

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I had to choose Manned mission to Mars, but submarine on Europa is a very strong second, if not #1.

A manned mission to mars can probably fund 50 autonomous under-ice submersible vehicles for Europa.

I guess you will have to put a radioactive thermal source of the submersible strong enough to let the submersible use its weight to melt through the ice, while spooling out a cable behind it up to the surface for communication with an orbiter.   You have to make sure about finding ice patches that is stable enough so once the hole freezes over, The ice won't tectonically fractual and shear the cable.

Probably should send a few surface probes first that can use sonar to figure out how thick is the ice, how deep is the liquid layer, what happens at the interface between ice and water, and between water and underlying, presumably lithic, geology.

[vorlon13]

Here's a pic of Ariel.

Clearly, this moon has had (has?) active geological processes at one time.  A potential rival for Europa or Enceladus for a dedicated mission, if not so much further away.

[SuperSentient]

Put a base on the moon and transfer a portion of the population to it.

[vorlon13]

I think a boat/raft/float of some kind for Titan lakes with a tethered 'sinker probe' of some kind is a little more feasible than a submarine.

Among other issues, is the fluid on Titan transparent ? To light? Radio waves? IR? So, what is a sub going to do for you? An echo sounder can get depths and profile the bottom. If the fluid is opaque to radio waves, you'll have to surface to transmit anything.

A microphone might be interesting to have in the fluid. Listen to gurgles and splashes, maybe some seismic rumbles.

And powering the sub? An RTG generates 10X as much heat as electricity. Now maybe there is something interesting you can do with 4000 watts of heat at the bottom of the fluid, besides boiling a tremendous amount of it away, but it should be thought out before going there.

Is the fluid viscous? Are there layers of different viscosity? Density? How much ballast goes on the sub? A sinker can be heavy enough for any reasonable fluid expected.

Also, the fluid is (IIRC) a non-polar liquid. We are accustomed to water, a polar substance. The gist is, the Titanian fluid (IIRC) won't dissolve salts and other polar compounds very well, but will dissolve some non-polar materials with ease. Like seals and gaskets and insulation. Best to understand completely before going.

Are there surface currents? Wind? Different currents in the depths ? Just operating a boat on the surface might be a challenge.

What about 'stuff' floating in the fluid? Worth studying? How about 'stuff' building up on the shore on the leeward side of the pond ? Worth checking it out?


We don't go to Titan very often, nice to anticipate 'everything' for our first dedicated lake mission, but how much (expensive) risk is tolerable ?

[Minimalist]

There are a couple of very interesting Uranus orbiter mission designs that have been proposed.

That's not the Uranus they mean, V.

[Iroscato]

Moon base! Use it as a grand first step towards actual off-world infrastructure to allow us to more easily explore the system. Helium-3 mining, manufacturing, bigass telescopes free from the interference of atmosphere, all that shizz. Establish a small self-sustaining colony, and you also back up the human race when we inevitably tit up the planet too much to live on.

[Fake Messiah]

I think a boat/raft/float of some kind for Titan lakes with a tethered 'sinker probe' of some kind is a little more feasible than a submarine.

Among other issues, is the fluid on Titan transparent ?   To light?  Radio waves?  IR?    So, what is a sub going to do for you?  An echo sounder can  get depths and profile the bottom.  If the fluid is opaque to radio waves, you'll have to surface to transmit anything.  

Well according to "Cosmos" tv show lake on Titan might look like this


Also considering that billionaires like Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk have their own space programs and plans and that for some time these new billionaires are eager to donate to space projects, maybe if US had bigger space program billionaires would be more willing to pay their taxes.

[Mr Greene]

If I had the resources I'd turn the Moon green. The Yanks planted flags, I'd plant crops and use it as a base from which to colonise the Solar System.

[vorlon13]

A Neptune orbiter is interesting.

Triton, it's large close in satellite is a fascinating contrast to Pluto, and it is also useful to gravitationally modify an orbiters tour of the Neptune system, similar to Cassini at Saturn, saving tremendous fuel.

Also, it's atmosphere, well characterized by Voyager II, could be used for a braking maneuver by an approaching spacecraft arriving at an arbitrarily high speed (to shorten transit time there).

Once in orbit, the craft could approach the rings and their entourage of small irregular satellites. Triton is also massive enough to direct the craft to orbits of many inclinations, allowing close looks at either Neptune pole. Neptune's 'Hill Sphere' is large, long orbits to encounter Nereid and other outer small satellites would be feasible too.

An 'end of mission' scenario might involve Triton 'flinging' the orbiter ahead or behind Neptune in it's orbit around the sun for an eventual close encounter(s) with a Neptune
Trojan asteroid.