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JasonF

Banned

From: Oklahoma

Registered: 2003-11-01

Posts: 12

Re: Any Plans For Neptune and Uranus?

Anyone know of any concepts or plans for probes out to Uranus and Neptune?  I'd love to see something other than just the Pioneer/Voyager flybys.  Is the Icy Moons Orbiter a one shot deal, or a first of many ion and fission powered craft?

remcook

Banned

Registered: 2004-01-07

Posts: 78

Re: Any Plans For Neptune and Uranus?

There are no missions planned for the near future for these planets. Even the New Horizons mission won't fly by. As far as JIMO is concerned, it is not sure it will ever fly. So I guess it will be kind of quiet in the outer solar system for a while

Stephen

Member

Registered: 2004-01-16

Posts: 68

Re: Any Plans For Neptune and Uranus?

Anyone know of any concepts or plans for probes out to Uranus and Neptune?  I'd love to see something other than just the Pioneer/Voyager flybys.  Is the Icy Moons Orbiter a one shot deal, or a first of many ion and fission powered craft?

There is nothing definite in the works AFAIK. However, NASA's wishlist of future missions does include a Neptune orbiter among them.

Check out:

[http://bees.jpl.nasa.gov/BEES2000/e_nil … tation.pdf]http://bees.jpl.nasa.gov/BEES2000/e_nil … tation.pdf

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Stephen

Mark

Banned

From: Australia

Registered: 2003-12-27

Posts: 44

Re: Any Plans For Neptune and Uranus?

Despite the fact that the planets Uranus and Neptune seem to be less popular than most of the other planets in our Solar System, I think they are quite fascinating. They are gas giants, but I think there are surely some moons around them that could be quite interesting to study or even explore.

The biggest thing happening in the outer solar system in recent times will be the Cassini-Huygens project. With the Cassini studying the Saturnian system and the Huygens probe going down to Saturn's moon Titan.

Mad Grad Student

Member

From: Phoenix, Arizona, North Americ

Registered: 2003-11-09

Posts: 498

Website

Re: Any Plans For Neptune and Uranus?

It's quite a shame that neither of the two are on the drawing board as mission subjects. Both are interesting in their own unique way, Neptune as the oddball of the jovian planets, with an interesting token moon, and Uranus as a case study in homogenity, there must be something going on down there to keep it so regular.

Even if you can't see a reason to go, we should study them just to see what's there, that's what exploration is all about. Besides, I'm gonna get bored with the Voyager images!

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A mind is like a parachute- it works best when open.

Aetius

Member

From: New England USA

Registered: 2002-01-20

Posts: 173

Re: Any Plans For Neptune and Uranus?

Gas giants in our own solar system are also fascinating because of they are our best opportunity to learn more about the dozens and dozens of extrasolar gas giants.