Some good news, albeit a couple of days old now. NASA has selected the
Dawn mission to orbit asteroids Ceres and Vesta (c.f.,
http://www.spacer.com/news/asteroid-01n.html). Anything we learn about
inner solar system asteroids is, I think, good for space industrialization
and settlement.
Good news indeed.
Cheers,
Charles R.
I agree with your comments Charles --- we take what few scraps fall from the table, even if they're not exactly what we wanted.
cfrjlr@...
12/26/2001 02:11 PM
Good news indeed.
Although ironically, Ceres and Vesta have the largest gravity wells of all the asteroids, so are probably the least economically interesting.
Cheers,
Charles R.
> Date: Fri Dec 28, 2001 2:57 am
>
> I agree with your comments Charles --- we take what few
> scraps fall from the table, even if they're not exactly what
> we wanted.
>
> Ron
Vestoid asteroids (one of the more useful families of NEOs) & no doubt
introducing us to a new group of Ceres-derived objects (the Cereals?), Dawn
will conduct flybys of about a dozen other afteroids en route. To put that
in perspective: the flybys in this one mission alone alone will provide more
asteroid - or comet - science opportunities than all the completed &
confirmed missions from ISEE3/ICE at Giacobini-Zinner to Rosetta's arrival
at Wirtanen; while the two major targets may be considered the equivalent of
NEAR's work at Eros & Rosetta's at Wirtanen... no match for MUSES-C's sample
return from 1989 ML, though (what a pity JPL couldn't get its act together
on the rover here; or that NASA hq wasn't prepared to open this flight
opportunity to someone like Tilden at Los Alamos).
(Asteroid flybys to date or confirmed (9): Gaspra, Ida & Dactyl (Galileo);
Mathilde (NEAR); Braille (DS1 - poor observations due to a navigational
error); Otawawa & Siwa (Rosetta); & Masursky (Cassini) & Annefrank (Stardust
- the last two were/will be very distant observations); or
(Comet flybys to date or confirmed (8): Giacobini-Zinner (ISEE3/ICE); Halley
(Giotto, et al); Giacobini-Zinner (Giotto); Borelly (DS1); Encke & d'Arrest
(Contour); Wild 2 (Stardust) & Tempel 1 (Deep Impact))
There are a number of potential additional flyby targets for missions as
diverse as SMART-1 (which has always had a potential asteroid flyby
extension as part of its program); New Horizons (multiple observation
opportunities have already been identified); & various extension targets
from the comet observers Stardust, Deep Impact & Contour, but none of these
potential observations have been confirmed.
Not a bad little mission, then.
Live in peace
Robert.Clements@...
endeavour2 project http://www.geocities.com/robtclements/endeavour2.html>
I think the Dawn mission is a wonderful one, and we will learn a lot. What
I meant by "scraps from the table" is that, relative to other NASA
expenditures, money spent on minor planet research is very minimal (even
if we include the Dawn mission). What I meant by "even if they're not
exactly what we wanted" was that I would have preferred to fund a
NEO-oriented mission such as the Hera mission (c.f.,
http://www.uark.edu/misc/hera/) rather than the Main Belt-oriented Dawn
mission.
Ron
"Clements, Robert" Robert.Clements@...
01/01/02 09:49 PM
> Date: Fri Dec 28, 2001 2:57 am
>
> I agree with your comments Charles --- we take what few
> scraps fall from the table, even if they're not exactly what
> we wanted.
>
> Ron
Hardly scraps. Apart from giving us an intensive look at the source of the
Vestoid asteroids (one of the more useful families of NEOs) & no doubt
introducing us to a new group of Ceres-derived objects (the Cereals?),
Dawn
will conduct flybys of about a dozen other afteroids en route. To put that
in perspective: the flybys in this one mission alone alone will provide
more
asteroid - or comet - science opportunities than all the completed &
confirmed missions from ISEE3/ICE at Giacobini-Zinner to Rosetta's arrival
at Wirtanen; while the two major targets may be considered the equivalent
of
NEAR's work at Eros & Rosetta's at Wirtanen... no match for MUSES-C's
sample
return from 1989 ML, though (what a pity JPL couldn't get its act together
on the rover here; or that NASA hq wasn't prepared to open this flight
opportunity to someone like Tilden at Los Alamos).
(Asteroid flybys to date or confirmed (9): Gaspra, Ida & Dactyl (Galileo);
Mathilde (NEAR); Braille (DS1 - poor observations due to a navigational
error); Otawawa & Siwa (Rosetta); & Masursky (Cassini) & Annefrank
(Stardust
- the last two were/will be very distant observations); or
(Comet flybys to date or confirmed (8): Giacobini-Zinner (ISEE3/ICE);
Halley
(Giotto, et al); Giacobini-Zinner (Giotto); Borelly (DS1); Encke &
d'Arrest
(Contour); Wild 2 (Stardust) & Tempel 1 (Deep Impact))
There are a number of potential additional flyby targets for missions as
diverse as SMART-1 (which has always had a potential asteroid flyby
extension as part of its program); New Horizons (multiple observation
opportunities have already been identified); & various extension targets
from the comet observers Stardust, Deep Impact & Contour, but none of
these
potential observations have been confirmed.
Not a bad little mission, then.
Live in peace
Robert.Clements@...
endeavour2 project http://www.geocities.com/robtclements/endeavour2.html>
>
> I think the Dawn mission is a wonderful one, and we will
> learn a lot. What
> I meant by "scraps from the table" is that, relative to other NASA
> expenditures, money spent on minor planet research is very
> minimal (even
> if we include the Dawn mission). What I meant by "even if
> they're not
> exactly what we wanted" was that I would have preferred to fund a
> NEO-oriented mission such as the Hera mission (c.f.,
> http://www.uark.edu/misc/hera/) rather than the Main
> Belt-oriented Dawn
> mission.
>
> But, I think it's wonderful Dawn is going to happen. Bravo!
>
> Ron
> ******
That's right... despite the publicity linked to the mission at the time,
Hera was not actually proposed under the last Discovery AofO, for reasons
arcane & multiplex. Technologocial assessment was likely to be an issue in
this case; & to be fair to NASA, funding for many of the Hera-required
technologies has been forthcoming.
Live in peace
Robert.Clements@...
endeavour2 project http://www.geocities.com/robtclements/endeavour2.html>
--- "Clements, Robert" Robert.Clements@...
> >
> > I think the Dawn mission is a wonderful one, and
> we will
> > learn a lot. What
> > I meant by "scraps from the table" is that,
> relative to other NASA
> > expenditures, money spent on minor planet research
> is very
> > minimal (even
> > if we include the Dawn mission). What I meant by
> "even if
> > they're not
> > exactly what we wanted" was that I would have
> preferred to fund a
> > NEO-oriented mission such as the Hera mission
> (c.f.,
> > http://www.uark.edu/misc/hera/) rather than the
> Main
> > Belt-oriented Dawn
> > mission.
> >
> > But, I think it's wonderful Dawn is going to
> happen. Bravo!
> >
> > Ron
> > ******
>
> How could NASA fund Hera if it wasn't proposed for
> funding?
>
> That's right... despite the publicity linked to the
> mission at the time,
> Hera was not actually proposed under the last
> Discovery AofO, for reasons
> arcane & multiplex. Technologocial assessment was
> likely to be an issue in
> this case; & to be fair to NASA, funding for many of
> the Hera-required
> technologies has been forthcoming.
>
> Live in peace
> Robert.Clements@...
> endeavour2 project
>
http://www.geocities.com/robtclements/endeavour2.html>
>
Hey Quit e mailing me your fantasy space crap.
Fair comments.
if and when the Hera mission ever materializes, I'll be truly ecstatic.
Ron
"Clements, Robert" Robert.Clements@...
01/02/02 04:49 PM
>
> I think the Dawn mission is a wonderful one, and we will
> learn a lot. What
> I meant by "scraps from the table" is that, relative to other NASA
> expenditures, money spent on minor planet research is very
> minimal (even
> if we include the Dawn mission). What I meant by "even if
> they're not
> exactly what we wanted" was that I would have preferred to fund a
> NEO-oriented mission such as the Hera mission (c.f.,
> http://www.uark.edu/misc/hera/) rather than the Main
> Belt-oriented Dawn
> mission.
>
> But, I think it's wonderful Dawn is going to happen. Bravo!
>
> Ron
> ******
How could NASA fund Hera if it wasn't proposed for funding?
That's right... despite the publicity linked to the mission at the time,
Hera was not actually proposed under the last Discovery AofO, for reasons
arcane & multiplex. Technologocial assessment was likely to be an issue in
this case; & to be fair to NASA, funding for many of the Hera-required
technologies has been forthcoming.
Live in peace
Robert.Clements@...
endeavour2 project http://www.geocities.com/robtclements/endeavour2.html>