|
Europa Clipper
Europa Clipper (previously known as Europa Multiple Flyby Mission) is a space probe developed by NASA to study Europa (moon), Europa, a Galilean moon of Jupiter. It was launched on October 14, 2024. The spacecraft used a gravity assist from Mars on March 1, 2025, and it will use a gravity assist from Earth on December 3, 2026, before arriving at Europa in April 2030. The spacecraft will then perform a series of Flyby (spaceflight), flybys of Europa while orbiting Jupiter. Europa Clipper is designed to study evidence for a subsurface ocean underneath Europa's ice Crust (geology), crust, found by the Galileo (spacecraft), Galileo spacecraft which orbited Jupiter from 1995 to 2003. Plans to send a spacecraft to Europa were conceived with projects such as Europa Orbiter and Jupiter Icy Moons Orbiter, in which a spacecraft would be inserted into orbit around Europa. However, due to the effects of radiation from the magnetosphere of Jupiter in Europa orbit, it was decided that it woul ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Falcon Heavy
Falcon Heavy is a super heavy-lift launch vehicle with partial reusability that can carry cargo into Earth orbit and beyond. It is designed, manufactured and launched by American aerospace company SpaceX. The rocket consists of a center core on which two Falcon 9 boosters are attached, and a second stage on top of the center core. Falcon Heavy has the second highest payload capacity of any currently operational launch vehicle behind NASA's Space Launch System (SLS), and the fourth-highest capacity of any rocket to reach orbit, trailing behind the Space Launch System, SLS, Energia (rocket), Energia and the Saturn V. SpaceX conducted Falcon Heavy test flight, Falcon Heavy's maiden launch on 6 February 2018, at 20:45 Coordinated Universal Time, UTC. As a Boilerplate (spaceflight), dummy payload, the rocket carried Elon Musk's Tesla Roadster, a Tesla Roadster belonging to SpaceX founder Elon Musk, with a mannequin dubbed "Starman" in the driver's seat. The second Falcon Heavy laun ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Europa (moon)
Europa () is a moons of Jupiter, natural satellite (moon) of Jupiter. Being observable from Earth with common binoculars it is one of the four Galilean moons. As such it is a planetary-mass moon, the smallest and least massive orbiting Jupiter, and slightly smaller and less massive than Moon, Earth's. Europa is an icy moon, being of the three icy Galilean moons the closest orbiting Jupiter. As a result it is exhibiting a relatively young surface, driven by tidal heating. Probably having an iron–nickel alloy, iron–nickel core, it consists mainly of silicate rock, with a water-ice shell. It has a very thin atmosphere, composed primarily of oxygen. Its geologically young white-beige surface is Glacial striation, striated by light Tan (color), tan cracks and streaks, with very few impact craters. In addition to Earth-bound telescope observations, Europa has been examined by a succession of space-probe flybys, the first occurring in the early 1970s. In September 2022, the Juno ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mass Spectrometer For Planetary Exploration
The MAss Spectrometer for Planetary EXploration (MASPEX) is a time-of-flight mass spectrometer capable of high-resolution and high-sensitivity that allows the determination of a wide variety of chemical compounds in complex mixtures.J. H. Waite Jr., ''et al.,'' (2 April 2024)MASPEX-Europa: The Europa Clipper Neutral Gas Mass Spectrometer Investigation" '' Space Science Reviews, Vol. 220'', No. 30. Retrieved 13 Jan 2025. This instrument will fly on board the planned ''Europa Clipper'' orbiter to explore Jupiter's moon Europa. This astrobiology mission will analyse the composition of Europa's surface while in orbit, and will directly assess its internal ocean habitability by flying through Europa's tenuous atmosphere. On 27 May 2016 it was announced that MASPEX was selected to fly on the mission. The instrument has also been proposed to fly on three Discovery program missions: Enceladus Life Finder (ELF), comet Hartley 2 (PRIME), and to the main belt comet Read (Proteus). It also h ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Flyby (spaceflight)
A flyby () is a spaceflight operation in which a spacecraft passes in proximity to another body, usually a target of its space exploration mission and/or a source of a gravity assist (also called ''swing-by'') to impel it towards another target. Spacecraft which are specifically designed for this purpose are known as flyby spacecraft, although the term has also been used in regard to asteroid flybys of Earth for example. Important parameters are the time and distance of closest approach. Spacecraft flyby Flyby maneuvers can be conducted with a planet, a natural satellite or a non-planetary object such as a small Solar System body. Planetary flybys have occurred with Mars or Earth for example: * List of Earth flybys * Mars flyby An example of a comet flyby is when International Cometary Explorer (formerly ISEE-3) passed about from the nucleus of Comet Giacobini-Zinner in September 1985. Another application of the flyby is of Earth's Moon, usually called a lunar flyby. The ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gravity Assist
A gravity assist, gravity assist maneuver, swing-by, or generally a gravitational slingshot in orbital mechanics, is a type of spaceflight flyby (spaceflight), flyby which makes use of the relative movement (e.g. orbit around the Sun) and gravity of a planet or other astronomical object to alter the Course (navigation), path and speed of a spacecraft, typically to save propellant and reduce expense. Gravity assistance can be used to accelerate a spacecraft, that is, to increase or decrease its speed or redirect its path. The "assist" is provided by the motion of the gravitating body as it pulls on the spacecraft. Any gain or loss of kinetic energy and linear momentum by a passing spacecraft is correspondingly lost or gained by the gravitational body, in accordance with Newton's laws of motion#Newton's third law, Newton's Third Law. The gravity assist maneuver was first used in 1959 when the Soviet probe Luna 3 photographed the far side of Earth's Moon, and it was used by inter ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jupiter
Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the List of Solar System objects by size, largest in the Solar System. It is a gas giant with a Jupiter mass, mass more than 2.5 times that of all the other planets in the Solar System combined and slightly less than one-thousandth the mass of the Sun. Its diameter is 11 times that of Earth and a tenth that of the Sun. Jupiter orbits the Sun at a distance of , with an orbital period of . It is the List of brightest natural objects in the sky, third-brightest natural object in the Earth's night sky, after the Moon and Venus, and has been observed since prehistoric times. Its name derives from that of Jupiter (god), Jupiter, the chief deity of ancient Roman religion. Jupiter was the first of the Sun's planets to form, and its inward migration during the primordial phase of the Solar System affected much of the formation history of the other planets. Jupiter's atmosphere consists of 76% hydrogen and 24% helium by mass, with a denser ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Galilean Moon
The Galilean moons (), or Galilean satellites, are the four largest moons of Jupiter. They are, in descending-size order, Ganymede, Callisto, Io, and Europa. They are the most readily visible Solar System objects after Saturn, the dimmest of the classical planets; though their closeness to bright Jupiter makes naked-eye observation very difficult, they are readily seen with common binoculars, even under night sky conditions of high light pollution. The invention of the telescope allowed astronomers to discover the moons in 1610. Through this, they became the first Solar System objects discovered since humans have started tracking the classical planets, and the first objects to be found to orbit any planet beyond Earth. They are planetary-mass moons and among the largest objects in the Solar System. All four, along with Titan, Triton, and Earth's Moon, are larger than any of the Solar System's dwarf planets. The largest, Ganymede, is the largest moon in the Solar Syste ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Space Probe
Uncrewed spacecraft or robotic spacecraft are spacecraft without people on board. Uncrewed spacecraft may have varying levels of autonomy from human input, such as remote control, or remote guidance. They may also be autonomous, in which they have a pre-programmed list of operations that will be executed unless otherwise instructed. A robotic spacecraft for scientific measurements is often called a space probe or space observatory. Many space missions are more suited to telerobotic rather than crewed operation, due to lower cost and risk factors. In addition, some planetary destinations such as Venus or the vicinity of Jupiter are too hostile for human survival, given current technology. Outer planets such as Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune are too distant to reach with current crewed spaceflight technology, so telerobotic probes are the only way to explore them. Telerobotics also allows exploration of regions that are vulnerable to contamination by Earth micro-organisms sinc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Uranus Orbiter And Probe
The Uranus Orbiter and Probe is an orbiter mission concept to study Uranus and its moons. The orbiter would also deploy an atmospheric probe to characterize Uranus's atmosphere. The concept is being developed as a potential large strategic science mission for NASA. The science phase would last 4.5 years and include multiple flybys of each of the major moons. The mission concept was selected as the highest priority Flagship-class mission by the 2023–2032 Planetary Science Decadal Survey, ahead of the Enceladus Orbilander. A Neptune orbiter mission concept, Neptune Odyssey, that would address many of the same scientific goals regarding ice giants was also considered, but for logistical and cost reasons a mission to Uranus was favored. The original proposal targeted a launch in 2031 using a Falcon Heavy expendable launch vehicle with a gravity assist at Jupiter, allowing arrival at Uranus in 2044. In 2023, however, NASA announced that due to a shortfall in plutonium produ ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Double Asteroid Redirection Test
The Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) was a NASA space mission aimed at testing a method of planetary defense against near-Earth objects (NEOs). It was designed to assess how much a spacecraft impact deflects an asteroid through its transfer of momentum when hitting the asteroid head-on. The selected target asteroid, Dimorphos, is a minor-planet moon of the asteroid 65803 Didymos, Didymos; neither asteroid poses an impact threat to Earth, but their joint characteristics made them an ideal benchmarking target. Launched on 24 November 2021, the DART spacecraft successfully collided with Dimorphos on 26 September 2022 at 23:14 UTC about from Earth. The collision shortened Dimorphos's orbit by 32 minutes, greatly in excess of the pre-defined success threshold of 73 seconds. DART's success in deflecting Dimorphos was due to the momentum transfer associated with the recoil of the ejected debris, which was substantially larger than that caused by the impact itself. DART was a jo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Planetary Missions Program Office
The Planetary Missions Program Office is a division of NASA headquartered at the Marshall Space Flight Center, formed by the agency's Science Mission Directorate (SMD). Succeeding the Discovery and New Frontiers Program Office, it was established in 2014 to manage the Discovery and New Frontiers programs of low and medium-cost missions by third-party institutions, and the Solar System Exploration program of NASA-led missions that focus on prioritized planetary science objectives. The Discovery and New Frontiers programs were established in 1992 and 2001 respectively, and have launched fourteen primary missions together, along with two missions launched under the administration of the Planetary Missions Program Office. The Solar System Exploration Program was established alongside the office, with three missions planned for launch under the new program. History The Planetary Missions Program Office was established in late 2014 as part of a series of changes implemented b ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
NASA-ESA Mars Sample Return
The NASA-ESA Mars Sample Return is a proposed Large strategic science missions, Flagship-class Mars sample return (MSR) mission to collect Martian rock and soil samples in 43 small, cylindrical, pencil-sized, titanium tubes and sample-return mission, return them to Earth around 2033. The NASA–ESA plan, approved in September 2022, is to return samples using three missions: a sample collection mission (''Perseverance (rover), Perseverance''), a sample retrieval mission (Sample Retrieval Lander + Mars Ascent Vehicle + Sample Transfer Arm + 2 ''Ingenuity (helicopter), Ingenuity''-class helicopters), and a return mission (Earth Return Orbiter). The mission hopes to resolve the question of whether Mars Life on Mars, once harbored life. Although the proposal is still in the design stage, the ''Perseverance'' rover is currently gathering samples on Mars and the components of the sample retrieval lander are in the testing phase on Earth. After a project review critical of its cost an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
