How can Trident be so inexpensive? Will it orbit Triton or just do a (slow) flyby?












19












$begingroup$


The recent NY Times article Neptune’s Moon Triton Is Destination of Proposed NASA Mission says (in part):




HOUSTON — Is it time to go back to Neptune?



Scientists representing NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory proposed a spacecraft and mission on Tuesday at the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference in Texas that would explore Triton, Neptune’s largest moon.



Unlike multibillion dollar proposals for spacecraft that the agency has usually sent to the outer solar system, this spacecraft, named Trident, aims to be far less expensive, the mission’s scientists and engineers said, or the price of a small mission to the moon.




I don't know exactly how much "a small mission to the moon." but Beresheet is based on a mission that was about US $30 million if I remember correctly, so it could be really amazing if that amount of money can get a spacecraft to the Neptune system and into orbit around Triton.



it's US $95 million, US $30 million was roughly the google X-prize size.



I'm not sure it will orbit or if it will be a flyby, but the article says it will image the complete surface and Triton's period is almost six days:




To get to Triton, the spacecraft would fly in a fast, straight trajectory after an orbital assist from Jupiter, similar to the flyby that was used by the New Horizons spacecraft to visit Pluto in 2015. It would rely on a payload of scientific instruments to conduct ocean detection and atmospheric and ionospheric science. The spacecraft would photograph the entirety of Triton, which is the largest object in the solar system that has not yet been fully imaged.











share|improve this question











$endgroup$








  • 5




    $begingroup$
    Has anyone got a conversion chart from Nasa dollars to US dollars? Based on the James Webb Space Telescope it's currently about 6 to 1!
    $endgroup$
    – Dave Gremlin
    yesterday










  • $begingroup$
    I've just asked Is post-X-prize Beresheet better than the X-prize candidate?
    $endgroup$
    – uhoh
    yesterday
















19












$begingroup$


The recent NY Times article Neptune’s Moon Triton Is Destination of Proposed NASA Mission says (in part):




HOUSTON — Is it time to go back to Neptune?



Scientists representing NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory proposed a spacecraft and mission on Tuesday at the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference in Texas that would explore Triton, Neptune’s largest moon.



Unlike multibillion dollar proposals for spacecraft that the agency has usually sent to the outer solar system, this spacecraft, named Trident, aims to be far less expensive, the mission’s scientists and engineers said, or the price of a small mission to the moon.




I don't know exactly how much "a small mission to the moon." but Beresheet is based on a mission that was about US $30 million if I remember correctly, so it could be really amazing if that amount of money can get a spacecraft to the Neptune system and into orbit around Triton.



it's US $95 million, US $30 million was roughly the google X-prize size.



I'm not sure it will orbit or if it will be a flyby, but the article says it will image the complete surface and Triton's period is almost six days:




To get to Triton, the spacecraft would fly in a fast, straight trajectory after an orbital assist from Jupiter, similar to the flyby that was used by the New Horizons spacecraft to visit Pluto in 2015. It would rely on a payload of scientific instruments to conduct ocean detection and atmospheric and ionospheric science. The spacecraft would photograph the entirety of Triton, which is the largest object in the solar system that has not yet been fully imaged.











share|improve this question











$endgroup$








  • 5




    $begingroup$
    Has anyone got a conversion chart from Nasa dollars to US dollars? Based on the James Webb Space Telescope it's currently about 6 to 1!
    $endgroup$
    – Dave Gremlin
    yesterday










  • $begingroup$
    I've just asked Is post-X-prize Beresheet better than the X-prize candidate?
    $endgroup$
    – uhoh
    yesterday














19












19








19





$begingroup$


The recent NY Times article Neptune’s Moon Triton Is Destination of Proposed NASA Mission says (in part):




HOUSTON — Is it time to go back to Neptune?



Scientists representing NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory proposed a spacecraft and mission on Tuesday at the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference in Texas that would explore Triton, Neptune’s largest moon.



Unlike multibillion dollar proposals for spacecraft that the agency has usually sent to the outer solar system, this spacecraft, named Trident, aims to be far less expensive, the mission’s scientists and engineers said, or the price of a small mission to the moon.




I don't know exactly how much "a small mission to the moon." but Beresheet is based on a mission that was about US $30 million if I remember correctly, so it could be really amazing if that amount of money can get a spacecraft to the Neptune system and into orbit around Triton.



it's US $95 million, US $30 million was roughly the google X-prize size.



I'm not sure it will orbit or if it will be a flyby, but the article says it will image the complete surface and Triton's period is almost six days:




To get to Triton, the spacecraft would fly in a fast, straight trajectory after an orbital assist from Jupiter, similar to the flyby that was used by the New Horizons spacecraft to visit Pluto in 2015. It would rely on a payload of scientific instruments to conduct ocean detection and atmospheric and ionospheric science. The spacecraft would photograph the entirety of Triton, which is the largest object in the solar system that has not yet been fully imaged.











share|improve this question











$endgroup$




The recent NY Times article Neptune’s Moon Triton Is Destination of Proposed NASA Mission says (in part):




HOUSTON — Is it time to go back to Neptune?



Scientists representing NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory proposed a spacecraft and mission on Tuesday at the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference in Texas that would explore Triton, Neptune’s largest moon.



Unlike multibillion dollar proposals for spacecraft that the agency has usually sent to the outer solar system, this spacecraft, named Trident, aims to be far less expensive, the mission’s scientists and engineers said, or the price of a small mission to the moon.




I don't know exactly how much "a small mission to the moon." but Beresheet is based on a mission that was about US $30 million if I remember correctly, so it could be really amazing if that amount of money can get a spacecraft to the Neptune system and into orbit around Triton.



it's US $95 million, US $30 million was roughly the google X-prize size.



I'm not sure it will orbit or if it will be a flyby, but the article says it will image the complete surface and Triton's period is almost six days:




To get to Triton, the spacecraft would fly in a fast, straight trajectory after an orbital assist from Jupiter, similar to the flyby that was used by the New Horizons spacecraft to visit Pluto in 2015. It would rely on a payload of scientific instruments to conduct ocean detection and atmospheric and ionospheric science. The spacecraft would photograph the entirety of Triton, which is the largest object in the solar system that has not yet been fully imaged.








nasa deep-space neptune






share|improve this question















share|improve this question













share|improve this question




share|improve this question








edited yesterday







uhoh

















asked 2 days ago









uhohuhoh

39.4k18145500




39.4k18145500








  • 5




    $begingroup$
    Has anyone got a conversion chart from Nasa dollars to US dollars? Based on the James Webb Space Telescope it's currently about 6 to 1!
    $endgroup$
    – Dave Gremlin
    yesterday










  • $begingroup$
    I've just asked Is post-X-prize Beresheet better than the X-prize candidate?
    $endgroup$
    – uhoh
    yesterday














  • 5




    $begingroup$
    Has anyone got a conversion chart from Nasa dollars to US dollars? Based on the James Webb Space Telescope it's currently about 6 to 1!
    $endgroup$
    – Dave Gremlin
    yesterday










  • $begingroup$
    I've just asked Is post-X-prize Beresheet better than the X-prize candidate?
    $endgroup$
    – uhoh
    yesterday








5




5




$begingroup$
Has anyone got a conversion chart from Nasa dollars to US dollars? Based on the James Webb Space Telescope it's currently about 6 to 1!
$endgroup$
– Dave Gremlin
yesterday




$begingroup$
Has anyone got a conversion chart from Nasa dollars to US dollars? Based on the James Webb Space Telescope it's currently about 6 to 1!
$endgroup$
– Dave Gremlin
yesterday












$begingroup$
I've just asked Is post-X-prize Beresheet better than the X-prize candidate?
$endgroup$
– uhoh
yesterday




$begingroup$
I've just asked Is post-X-prize Beresheet better than the X-prize candidate?
$endgroup$
– uhoh
yesterday










2 Answers
2






active

oldest

votes


















47












$begingroup$

I wrote the article you are referencing. @Hobbes has it exactly correct. It is a lightweight vehicle that can launch on even a small rocket, and takes advantage of gravity assists and favorable celestial mechanics to catch Triton at just the right time for encounter with the plumes illuminated. It will image the entirety of Triton in sunlight on approach, and spin around and image it in Neptunelight on the outbound. It basically carries no fuel but for the most modest trajectory corrections, and the hardware is all based on flight tested technologies. It will use radioactive power sources rather than heavy and expensive solar panels (for obvious reasons) and the science instrument payload will allow a fairly robust set of science objectives to be achieved, including ocean detection and characterizing its ionosphere.



Regarding how it affects the Decadal flagship recommendations, the problem facing an ice giants flagship is that you are looking at a minimum two-billion-dollar spacecraft with a 2040 launch at best (flagships take forever for political reasons, and a minimum of 25 years will have elapsed between the launches of Cassini and Clipper), and it would have to launch on something like SLS to get there in a reasonable timeframe (if SLS is still around) at a billion dollars per launch. By then, Trident would have already completed its flyby, and the flagship would have another eight or so years of cruise ahead of it. That's a long time to plan good Triton science based on the Trident science return.



Moreover, I would suggest that if we learned anything from the outcome of the 2013 Decadal, it is that mission sequences might be the way of the future. (See the MSR sequence, and now the Europa Clipper/lander sequence.)



Ultimately, Trident has a long way to go before being selected, and the competition is going to be fierce. (Moon Diver is a particularly thrilling competitor.) But the prospect of expanding the Discovery program from 5AU to 30AU is a real paradigm shift, and would be transformative for outer planets exploration. I hope this helps!






share|improve this answer










New contributor




David W. Brown is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.






$endgroup$













  • $begingroup$
    It's described as a fly by in the text just beneath the headline.
    $endgroup$
    – HopDavid
    2 days ago






  • 13




    $begingroup$
    I wrote the article you are referencing Well, uh, cool! Nice to see people reaching out.
    $endgroup$
    – Fake Name
    2 days ago






  • 3




    $begingroup$
    Thanks for your answer and Welcome to Space! About "It will image the entirety entirety of Triton in sunlight on approach..." Do you mean it will start imaging about three days prior to flyby so that all sides of the planet are illuminated by sunlight, or that one entire half will be imaged illuminated by sunlight and the other half will be imaged by "Neptunelight"? Like they say, "Photography Dies in Darkness" (humor)
    $endgroup$
    – uhoh
    2 days ago






  • 2




    $begingroup$
    btw I enjoyed your 2015 Op-Ed When Congress Puts NASA on Hold, Planets Don’t Wait
    $endgroup$
    – uhoh
    2 days ago






  • 4




    $begingroup$
    Hi Uhoh! Thanks. Yes it is exactly as you describe. It’ll image one complete revolution of Triton around Neptune on approach (from -105 to -35 hours) before beginning a high resolution imaging at -10 hours on close approach. On departure it will do eclipse imaging in Neptuneshine. Incidentally, I noticed the subject line describes it as a slow flyby, but in fact it will be the fastest flyby of a planetary object ever achieved. (Faster for example than New Horizons at Pluto.) I can dig through my notes for the exact number, though I don’t have them with me presently.
    $endgroup$
    – David W. Brown
    yesterday



















14












$begingroup$

It's a fast flyby in the $500M cost class (a Discovery mission). So not really comparable to Beresheet.




A rare, low Δv trajectory (Fig. 1) enables an MMRTG-powered spacecraft fitting under the Discovery cost cap.




The mission would have to be launched in 2026, for a Neptune encounter in 2038.




New Horizons has effectively demonstrated the scientific value of fast flybys in the outer solar system. Trident’s encounter with Triton will be similarly rapid...




so like New Horizons, they'll have only a few days of close-in data collection. The plan is to do the flyby at an altitude low enough to sample Triton's atmosphere.



During the Jupiter gravity assist, an Io flyby is possible.



More info



There have been more proposals for Uranus and Neptune missions recently, including orbiters and atmospheric entry probes. Interest in the ice giants is increasing, in the current decadal survey they were ranked third after Mars sample return and the Europa mission. Once those are out of the way, it may be possible to get a flagship-class mission funded (which would enable an orbiter at least).
While this flyby is an interesting idea, I suspect it may spoil that process a bit.






share|improve this answer











$endgroup$













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    2 Answers
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    active

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    2 Answers
    2






    active

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    active

    oldest

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    active

    oldest

    votes









    47












    $begingroup$

    I wrote the article you are referencing. @Hobbes has it exactly correct. It is a lightweight vehicle that can launch on even a small rocket, and takes advantage of gravity assists and favorable celestial mechanics to catch Triton at just the right time for encounter with the plumes illuminated. It will image the entirety of Triton in sunlight on approach, and spin around and image it in Neptunelight on the outbound. It basically carries no fuel but for the most modest trajectory corrections, and the hardware is all based on flight tested technologies. It will use radioactive power sources rather than heavy and expensive solar panels (for obvious reasons) and the science instrument payload will allow a fairly robust set of science objectives to be achieved, including ocean detection and characterizing its ionosphere.



    Regarding how it affects the Decadal flagship recommendations, the problem facing an ice giants flagship is that you are looking at a minimum two-billion-dollar spacecraft with a 2040 launch at best (flagships take forever for political reasons, and a minimum of 25 years will have elapsed between the launches of Cassini and Clipper), and it would have to launch on something like SLS to get there in a reasonable timeframe (if SLS is still around) at a billion dollars per launch. By then, Trident would have already completed its flyby, and the flagship would have another eight or so years of cruise ahead of it. That's a long time to plan good Triton science based on the Trident science return.



    Moreover, I would suggest that if we learned anything from the outcome of the 2013 Decadal, it is that mission sequences might be the way of the future. (See the MSR sequence, and now the Europa Clipper/lander sequence.)



    Ultimately, Trident has a long way to go before being selected, and the competition is going to be fierce. (Moon Diver is a particularly thrilling competitor.) But the prospect of expanding the Discovery program from 5AU to 30AU is a real paradigm shift, and would be transformative for outer planets exploration. I hope this helps!






    share|improve this answer










    New contributor




    David W. Brown is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
    Check out our Code of Conduct.






    $endgroup$













    • $begingroup$
      It's described as a fly by in the text just beneath the headline.
      $endgroup$
      – HopDavid
      2 days ago






    • 13




      $begingroup$
      I wrote the article you are referencing Well, uh, cool! Nice to see people reaching out.
      $endgroup$
      – Fake Name
      2 days ago






    • 3




      $begingroup$
      Thanks for your answer and Welcome to Space! About "It will image the entirety entirety of Triton in sunlight on approach..." Do you mean it will start imaging about three days prior to flyby so that all sides of the planet are illuminated by sunlight, or that one entire half will be imaged illuminated by sunlight and the other half will be imaged by "Neptunelight"? Like they say, "Photography Dies in Darkness" (humor)
      $endgroup$
      – uhoh
      2 days ago






    • 2




      $begingroup$
      btw I enjoyed your 2015 Op-Ed When Congress Puts NASA on Hold, Planets Don’t Wait
      $endgroup$
      – uhoh
      2 days ago






    • 4




      $begingroup$
      Hi Uhoh! Thanks. Yes it is exactly as you describe. It’ll image one complete revolution of Triton around Neptune on approach (from -105 to -35 hours) before beginning a high resolution imaging at -10 hours on close approach. On departure it will do eclipse imaging in Neptuneshine. Incidentally, I noticed the subject line describes it as a slow flyby, but in fact it will be the fastest flyby of a planetary object ever achieved. (Faster for example than New Horizons at Pluto.) I can dig through my notes for the exact number, though I don’t have them with me presently.
      $endgroup$
      – David W. Brown
      yesterday
















    47












    $begingroup$

    I wrote the article you are referencing. @Hobbes has it exactly correct. It is a lightweight vehicle that can launch on even a small rocket, and takes advantage of gravity assists and favorable celestial mechanics to catch Triton at just the right time for encounter with the plumes illuminated. It will image the entirety of Triton in sunlight on approach, and spin around and image it in Neptunelight on the outbound. It basically carries no fuel but for the most modest trajectory corrections, and the hardware is all based on flight tested technologies. It will use radioactive power sources rather than heavy and expensive solar panels (for obvious reasons) and the science instrument payload will allow a fairly robust set of science objectives to be achieved, including ocean detection and characterizing its ionosphere.



    Regarding how it affects the Decadal flagship recommendations, the problem facing an ice giants flagship is that you are looking at a minimum two-billion-dollar spacecraft with a 2040 launch at best (flagships take forever for political reasons, and a minimum of 25 years will have elapsed between the launches of Cassini and Clipper), and it would have to launch on something like SLS to get there in a reasonable timeframe (if SLS is still around) at a billion dollars per launch. By then, Trident would have already completed its flyby, and the flagship would have another eight or so years of cruise ahead of it. That's a long time to plan good Triton science based on the Trident science return.



    Moreover, I would suggest that if we learned anything from the outcome of the 2013 Decadal, it is that mission sequences might be the way of the future. (See the MSR sequence, and now the Europa Clipper/lander sequence.)



    Ultimately, Trident has a long way to go before being selected, and the competition is going to be fierce. (Moon Diver is a particularly thrilling competitor.) But the prospect of expanding the Discovery program from 5AU to 30AU is a real paradigm shift, and would be transformative for outer planets exploration. I hope this helps!






    share|improve this answer










    New contributor




    David W. Brown is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
    Check out our Code of Conduct.






    $endgroup$













    • $begingroup$
      It's described as a fly by in the text just beneath the headline.
      $endgroup$
      – HopDavid
      2 days ago






    • 13




      $begingroup$
      I wrote the article you are referencing Well, uh, cool! Nice to see people reaching out.
      $endgroup$
      – Fake Name
      2 days ago






    • 3




      $begingroup$
      Thanks for your answer and Welcome to Space! About "It will image the entirety entirety of Triton in sunlight on approach..." Do you mean it will start imaging about three days prior to flyby so that all sides of the planet are illuminated by sunlight, or that one entire half will be imaged illuminated by sunlight and the other half will be imaged by "Neptunelight"? Like they say, "Photography Dies in Darkness" (humor)
      $endgroup$
      – uhoh
      2 days ago






    • 2




      $begingroup$
      btw I enjoyed your 2015 Op-Ed When Congress Puts NASA on Hold, Planets Don’t Wait
      $endgroup$
      – uhoh
      2 days ago






    • 4




      $begingroup$
      Hi Uhoh! Thanks. Yes it is exactly as you describe. It’ll image one complete revolution of Triton around Neptune on approach (from -105 to -35 hours) before beginning a high resolution imaging at -10 hours on close approach. On departure it will do eclipse imaging in Neptuneshine. Incidentally, I noticed the subject line describes it as a slow flyby, but in fact it will be the fastest flyby of a planetary object ever achieved. (Faster for example than New Horizons at Pluto.) I can dig through my notes for the exact number, though I don’t have them with me presently.
      $endgroup$
      – David W. Brown
      yesterday














    47












    47








    47





    $begingroup$

    I wrote the article you are referencing. @Hobbes has it exactly correct. It is a lightweight vehicle that can launch on even a small rocket, and takes advantage of gravity assists and favorable celestial mechanics to catch Triton at just the right time for encounter with the plumes illuminated. It will image the entirety of Triton in sunlight on approach, and spin around and image it in Neptunelight on the outbound. It basically carries no fuel but for the most modest trajectory corrections, and the hardware is all based on flight tested technologies. It will use radioactive power sources rather than heavy and expensive solar panels (for obvious reasons) and the science instrument payload will allow a fairly robust set of science objectives to be achieved, including ocean detection and characterizing its ionosphere.



    Regarding how it affects the Decadal flagship recommendations, the problem facing an ice giants flagship is that you are looking at a minimum two-billion-dollar spacecraft with a 2040 launch at best (flagships take forever for political reasons, and a minimum of 25 years will have elapsed between the launches of Cassini and Clipper), and it would have to launch on something like SLS to get there in a reasonable timeframe (if SLS is still around) at a billion dollars per launch. By then, Trident would have already completed its flyby, and the flagship would have another eight or so years of cruise ahead of it. That's a long time to plan good Triton science based on the Trident science return.



    Moreover, I would suggest that if we learned anything from the outcome of the 2013 Decadal, it is that mission sequences might be the way of the future. (See the MSR sequence, and now the Europa Clipper/lander sequence.)



    Ultimately, Trident has a long way to go before being selected, and the competition is going to be fierce. (Moon Diver is a particularly thrilling competitor.) But the prospect of expanding the Discovery program from 5AU to 30AU is a real paradigm shift, and would be transformative for outer planets exploration. I hope this helps!






    share|improve this answer










    New contributor




    David W. Brown is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
    Check out our Code of Conduct.






    $endgroup$



    I wrote the article you are referencing. @Hobbes has it exactly correct. It is a lightweight vehicle that can launch on even a small rocket, and takes advantage of gravity assists and favorable celestial mechanics to catch Triton at just the right time for encounter with the plumes illuminated. It will image the entirety of Triton in sunlight on approach, and spin around and image it in Neptunelight on the outbound. It basically carries no fuel but for the most modest trajectory corrections, and the hardware is all based on flight tested technologies. It will use radioactive power sources rather than heavy and expensive solar panels (for obvious reasons) and the science instrument payload will allow a fairly robust set of science objectives to be achieved, including ocean detection and characterizing its ionosphere.



    Regarding how it affects the Decadal flagship recommendations, the problem facing an ice giants flagship is that you are looking at a minimum two-billion-dollar spacecraft with a 2040 launch at best (flagships take forever for political reasons, and a minimum of 25 years will have elapsed between the launches of Cassini and Clipper), and it would have to launch on something like SLS to get there in a reasonable timeframe (if SLS is still around) at a billion dollars per launch. By then, Trident would have already completed its flyby, and the flagship would have another eight or so years of cruise ahead of it. That's a long time to plan good Triton science based on the Trident science return.



    Moreover, I would suggest that if we learned anything from the outcome of the 2013 Decadal, it is that mission sequences might be the way of the future. (See the MSR sequence, and now the Europa Clipper/lander sequence.)



    Ultimately, Trident has a long way to go before being selected, and the competition is going to be fierce. (Moon Diver is a particularly thrilling competitor.) But the prospect of expanding the Discovery program from 5AU to 30AU is a real paradigm shift, and would be transformative for outer planets exploration. I hope this helps!







    share|improve this answer










    New contributor




    David W. Brown is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
    Check out our Code of Conduct.









    share|improve this answer



    share|improve this answer








    edited 20 hours ago









    Robotnik

    1034




    1034






    New contributor




    David W. Brown is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
    Check out our Code of Conduct.









    answered 2 days ago









    David W. BrownDavid W. Brown

    57114




    57114




    New contributor




    David W. Brown is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
    Check out our Code of Conduct.





    New contributor





    David W. Brown is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
    Check out our Code of Conduct.






    David W. Brown is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
    Check out our Code of Conduct.












    • $begingroup$
      It's described as a fly by in the text just beneath the headline.
      $endgroup$
      – HopDavid
      2 days ago






    • 13




      $begingroup$
      I wrote the article you are referencing Well, uh, cool! Nice to see people reaching out.
      $endgroup$
      – Fake Name
      2 days ago






    • 3




      $begingroup$
      Thanks for your answer and Welcome to Space! About "It will image the entirety entirety of Triton in sunlight on approach..." Do you mean it will start imaging about three days prior to flyby so that all sides of the planet are illuminated by sunlight, or that one entire half will be imaged illuminated by sunlight and the other half will be imaged by "Neptunelight"? Like they say, "Photography Dies in Darkness" (humor)
      $endgroup$
      – uhoh
      2 days ago






    • 2




      $begingroup$
      btw I enjoyed your 2015 Op-Ed When Congress Puts NASA on Hold, Planets Don’t Wait
      $endgroup$
      – uhoh
      2 days ago






    • 4




      $begingroup$
      Hi Uhoh! Thanks. Yes it is exactly as you describe. It’ll image one complete revolution of Triton around Neptune on approach (from -105 to -35 hours) before beginning a high resolution imaging at -10 hours on close approach. On departure it will do eclipse imaging in Neptuneshine. Incidentally, I noticed the subject line describes it as a slow flyby, but in fact it will be the fastest flyby of a planetary object ever achieved. (Faster for example than New Horizons at Pluto.) I can dig through my notes for the exact number, though I don’t have them with me presently.
      $endgroup$
      – David W. Brown
      yesterday


















    • $begingroup$
      It's described as a fly by in the text just beneath the headline.
      $endgroup$
      – HopDavid
      2 days ago






    • 13




      $begingroup$
      I wrote the article you are referencing Well, uh, cool! Nice to see people reaching out.
      $endgroup$
      – Fake Name
      2 days ago






    • 3




      $begingroup$
      Thanks for your answer and Welcome to Space! About "It will image the entirety entirety of Triton in sunlight on approach..." Do you mean it will start imaging about three days prior to flyby so that all sides of the planet are illuminated by sunlight, or that one entire half will be imaged illuminated by sunlight and the other half will be imaged by "Neptunelight"? Like they say, "Photography Dies in Darkness" (humor)
      $endgroup$
      – uhoh
      2 days ago






    • 2




      $begingroup$
      btw I enjoyed your 2015 Op-Ed When Congress Puts NASA on Hold, Planets Don’t Wait
      $endgroup$
      – uhoh
      2 days ago






    • 4




      $begingroup$
      Hi Uhoh! Thanks. Yes it is exactly as you describe. It’ll image one complete revolution of Triton around Neptune on approach (from -105 to -35 hours) before beginning a high resolution imaging at -10 hours on close approach. On departure it will do eclipse imaging in Neptuneshine. Incidentally, I noticed the subject line describes it as a slow flyby, but in fact it will be the fastest flyby of a planetary object ever achieved. (Faster for example than New Horizons at Pluto.) I can dig through my notes for the exact number, though I don’t have them with me presently.
      $endgroup$
      – David W. Brown
      yesterday
















    $begingroup$
    It's described as a fly by in the text just beneath the headline.
    $endgroup$
    – HopDavid
    2 days ago




    $begingroup$
    It's described as a fly by in the text just beneath the headline.
    $endgroup$
    – HopDavid
    2 days ago




    13




    13




    $begingroup$
    I wrote the article you are referencing Well, uh, cool! Nice to see people reaching out.
    $endgroup$
    – Fake Name
    2 days ago




    $begingroup$
    I wrote the article you are referencing Well, uh, cool! Nice to see people reaching out.
    $endgroup$
    – Fake Name
    2 days ago




    3




    3




    $begingroup$
    Thanks for your answer and Welcome to Space! About "It will image the entirety entirety of Triton in sunlight on approach..." Do you mean it will start imaging about three days prior to flyby so that all sides of the planet are illuminated by sunlight, or that one entire half will be imaged illuminated by sunlight and the other half will be imaged by "Neptunelight"? Like they say, "Photography Dies in Darkness" (humor)
    $endgroup$
    – uhoh
    2 days ago




    $begingroup$
    Thanks for your answer and Welcome to Space! About "It will image the entirety entirety of Triton in sunlight on approach..." Do you mean it will start imaging about three days prior to flyby so that all sides of the planet are illuminated by sunlight, or that one entire half will be imaged illuminated by sunlight and the other half will be imaged by "Neptunelight"? Like they say, "Photography Dies in Darkness" (humor)
    $endgroup$
    – uhoh
    2 days ago




    2




    2




    $begingroup$
    btw I enjoyed your 2015 Op-Ed When Congress Puts NASA on Hold, Planets Don’t Wait
    $endgroup$
    – uhoh
    2 days ago




    $begingroup$
    btw I enjoyed your 2015 Op-Ed When Congress Puts NASA on Hold, Planets Don’t Wait
    $endgroup$
    – uhoh
    2 days ago




    4




    4




    $begingroup$
    Hi Uhoh! Thanks. Yes it is exactly as you describe. It’ll image one complete revolution of Triton around Neptune on approach (from -105 to -35 hours) before beginning a high resolution imaging at -10 hours on close approach. On departure it will do eclipse imaging in Neptuneshine. Incidentally, I noticed the subject line describes it as a slow flyby, but in fact it will be the fastest flyby of a planetary object ever achieved. (Faster for example than New Horizons at Pluto.) I can dig through my notes for the exact number, though I don’t have them with me presently.
    $endgroup$
    – David W. Brown
    yesterday




    $begingroup$
    Hi Uhoh! Thanks. Yes it is exactly as you describe. It’ll image one complete revolution of Triton around Neptune on approach (from -105 to -35 hours) before beginning a high resolution imaging at -10 hours on close approach. On departure it will do eclipse imaging in Neptuneshine. Incidentally, I noticed the subject line describes it as a slow flyby, but in fact it will be the fastest flyby of a planetary object ever achieved. (Faster for example than New Horizons at Pluto.) I can dig through my notes for the exact number, though I don’t have them with me presently.
    $endgroup$
    – David W. Brown
    yesterday











    14












    $begingroup$

    It's a fast flyby in the $500M cost class (a Discovery mission). So not really comparable to Beresheet.




    A rare, low Δv trajectory (Fig. 1) enables an MMRTG-powered spacecraft fitting under the Discovery cost cap.




    The mission would have to be launched in 2026, for a Neptune encounter in 2038.




    New Horizons has effectively demonstrated the scientific value of fast flybys in the outer solar system. Trident’s encounter with Triton will be similarly rapid...




    so like New Horizons, they'll have only a few days of close-in data collection. The plan is to do the flyby at an altitude low enough to sample Triton's atmosphere.



    During the Jupiter gravity assist, an Io flyby is possible.



    More info



    There have been more proposals for Uranus and Neptune missions recently, including orbiters and atmospheric entry probes. Interest in the ice giants is increasing, in the current decadal survey they were ranked third after Mars sample return and the Europa mission. Once those are out of the way, it may be possible to get a flagship-class mission funded (which would enable an orbiter at least).
    While this flyby is an interesting idea, I suspect it may spoil that process a bit.






    share|improve this answer











    $endgroup$


















      14












      $begingroup$

      It's a fast flyby in the $500M cost class (a Discovery mission). So not really comparable to Beresheet.




      A rare, low Δv trajectory (Fig. 1) enables an MMRTG-powered spacecraft fitting under the Discovery cost cap.




      The mission would have to be launched in 2026, for a Neptune encounter in 2038.




      New Horizons has effectively demonstrated the scientific value of fast flybys in the outer solar system. Trident’s encounter with Triton will be similarly rapid...




      so like New Horizons, they'll have only a few days of close-in data collection. The plan is to do the flyby at an altitude low enough to sample Triton's atmosphere.



      During the Jupiter gravity assist, an Io flyby is possible.



      More info



      There have been more proposals for Uranus and Neptune missions recently, including orbiters and atmospheric entry probes. Interest in the ice giants is increasing, in the current decadal survey they were ranked third after Mars sample return and the Europa mission. Once those are out of the way, it may be possible to get a flagship-class mission funded (which would enable an orbiter at least).
      While this flyby is an interesting idea, I suspect it may spoil that process a bit.






      share|improve this answer











      $endgroup$
















        14












        14








        14





        $begingroup$

        It's a fast flyby in the $500M cost class (a Discovery mission). So not really comparable to Beresheet.




        A rare, low Δv trajectory (Fig. 1) enables an MMRTG-powered spacecraft fitting under the Discovery cost cap.




        The mission would have to be launched in 2026, for a Neptune encounter in 2038.




        New Horizons has effectively demonstrated the scientific value of fast flybys in the outer solar system. Trident’s encounter with Triton will be similarly rapid...




        so like New Horizons, they'll have only a few days of close-in data collection. The plan is to do the flyby at an altitude low enough to sample Triton's atmosphere.



        During the Jupiter gravity assist, an Io flyby is possible.



        More info



        There have been more proposals for Uranus and Neptune missions recently, including orbiters and atmospheric entry probes. Interest in the ice giants is increasing, in the current decadal survey they were ranked third after Mars sample return and the Europa mission. Once those are out of the way, it may be possible to get a flagship-class mission funded (which would enable an orbiter at least).
        While this flyby is an interesting idea, I suspect it may spoil that process a bit.






        share|improve this answer











        $endgroup$



        It's a fast flyby in the $500M cost class (a Discovery mission). So not really comparable to Beresheet.




        A rare, low Δv trajectory (Fig. 1) enables an MMRTG-powered spacecraft fitting under the Discovery cost cap.




        The mission would have to be launched in 2026, for a Neptune encounter in 2038.




        New Horizons has effectively demonstrated the scientific value of fast flybys in the outer solar system. Trident’s encounter with Triton will be similarly rapid...




        so like New Horizons, they'll have only a few days of close-in data collection. The plan is to do the flyby at an altitude low enough to sample Triton's atmosphere.



        During the Jupiter gravity assist, an Io flyby is possible.



        More info



        There have been more proposals for Uranus and Neptune missions recently, including orbiters and atmospheric entry probes. Interest in the ice giants is increasing, in the current decadal survey they were ranked third after Mars sample return and the Europa mission. Once those are out of the way, it may be possible to get a flagship-class mission funded (which would enable an orbiter at least).
        While this flyby is an interesting idea, I suspect it may spoil that process a bit.







        share|improve this answer














        share|improve this answer



        share|improve this answer








        edited 2 days ago

























        answered 2 days ago









        HobbesHobbes

        94.4k2264420




        94.4k2264420






























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