Mars was on the rise the last time the planet’s scientific community gathered for a decade review. NASA He has flown on several missions to Mars and continues to work on Curiosity, his most ambitious rover to date. Support the sampling of the decade survey task as the first step to returning the sample to Earth.
In the latest Planetary Science Decadal Review, released April 19 by the National Academies Committee, the picture is somewhat different. While Mars is still the center of much of NASA’s planetary science today, Planetary Decade argues that the future lies elsewhere in the solar system, among the many distant planets and icy moons that might host life.
While the decade survey covered a wide range of topics in planetary science, from current knowledge to professional status, the department that received the most scrutiny was its recommendations for NASA’s next major mission. This recommendation affects a multi-billion dollar task. The Perseverance rover is currently on the surface of Mars, and the Europa Clipper is scheduled to launch to Jupiter’s icy moon Europa in 2024.
Officials at the Decadal Survey noted that during their discussions, it became clear that the next important expedition should focus on Uranus and Neptune, the two least studied planets in the solar system. Only one spacecraft has visited both: Voyager 2, which sailed with Neptune in 1989, and Uranus in 1986. Scientists call them “ice giants” because they are smaller than the universes of Jupiter and Saturn and may contain a mixture of ice and water. stone. in their interior decoration.
“This is the only type of planet in the Solar System that has not received a special orbital spin,” said Robin Canopus of the Southwest Research Institute, one of the survey leaders. “Knowing their formation and properties could change our understanding of giant ice systems and the origins of the solar system.”
Another factor is that given the number of ice giants that have been identified around other stars, investigations of Uranus or Neptune can reveal information about exoplanets. “We think this is the most common type of planet in the universe,” he said.
The decision was made later to publicize an expedition to Neptune or Uranus. Technical readiness has tilted the scales in favor of a trip to Uranus in this regard. “We have a design that is functional and suitable for the entire Uranus Orbiter mission and investigates the launch vehicles currently on display,” added Canopus. “This task does not require the use of any new technology.”
The $4.2 billion project, which could launch as early as 2031 on a Falcon Heavy or other large launch vehicle, will put a large spacecraft into orbit around Uranus to explore the planet, its rings and moons, as well as send probes into space. . The planet’s atmosphere, similar to what Galileo did on Jupiter in the 1990s. Launches in 2031 or 2032 could benefit from Jupiter’s gravitational assistance and reach Uranus in about 13 years, while launches in 2030 would require gravitational assistance in the inner solar system and reach Uranus in about 15 years.
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