New Mars Forums

Dayton Kitchens

Member

From: Norphlet, Arkansas

Registered: 2005-12-13

Posts: 183

Re: New unmanned probes to Uranus & Neptune?

I read somewhere that a lightweight "New Horizons" type mission has been proposed for Uranus.

And that a larger, far more elaborate nuclear powered orbiter mission to Neptune similar to the Jupiter Icy Moons Orbiter was in the planning stages.

Any substance to these?

EuroLauncher

Member

From: Europe

Registered: 2005-10-19

Posts: 299

Re: New unmanned probes to Uranus & Neptune?

On Uranus all I know of was the past mission by Voyager 2

On Neptune see here
http://www.newmars.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=1442
Neptune Orbiter

cIclops

Member

Registered: 2005-06-16

Posts: 3,230

Re: New unmanned probes to Uranus & Neptune?

I read somewhere that a lightweight "New Horizons" type mission has been proposed for Uranus.

And that a larger, far more elaborate nuclear powered orbiter mission to Neptune similar to the Jupiter Icy Moons Orbiter was in the planning stages.

Any substance to these?

Alan Stern was pushing hard last year for a New Horizons II mission for launch in 2008/9. It would be a clone of the Pluto probe and would flyby Uranus enroute to the Kupier belt. It seems unlikely to happen given the current funding environment.

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SpaceNut

Administrator

From: New Hampshire

Registered: 2004-07-22

Posts: 28,831

Re: New unmanned probes to Uranus & Neptune?

I remembered some time ago talking about a nucleared powered mission just after the JIMO was sort of cancelled in favor of Prometheus. Here is the Neptune Orbiter with Probes - ...part of NASA's "Vision Missions"

Hopefully a mission is still ago but it is a very long wait....

Dayton Kitchens

Member

From: Norphlet, Arkansas

Registered: 2005-12-13

Posts: 183

Re: New unmanned probes to Uranus & Neptune?

Its been six months.

Any new information on either of these possible projects?

Commodore

Member

From: Upstate NY, USA

Registered: 2004-07-25

Posts: 1,021

Re: New unmanned probes to Uranus & Neptune?

Is Neptune even a planet anymore?

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"Yes, I was going to give this astronaut selection my best shot, I was determined when the NASA proctologist looked up my ass, he would see pipes so dazzling he would ask the nurse to get his sunglasses."
---Shuttle Astronaut Mike Mullane