New Frontiers in the Solar System An Integrated Exploration Strategy (2003) / Chapter Skim
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7 Priority Questions for Solar System Exploration, 2003-2013: The Basis for an Integrated Exploration Strategy
7 Priority Questions for Solar System Exploration, 2003-2013: The Basis for an Integrated Exploration Strategy
Pages 175-188
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From page 175... ...
The most basic motivating questions for solar system exploration, which also reflect the ingress of the public' must play ~ role in sewing priorities for the future: Are we alone: Where did we come from: What is our destiny: The discussion in the previous chapter documents the intimate associations of these questions with robust planetary exploration program. Assessment of priorities for Me next Deere mud take into account the discoveries md successes of the recent past md Me po~ntia1 for resolution of high-level questions.
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From page 176... ...
ars hl ars S ample Return Large I`l ars S cience L~ or atory h4edium I`lar Long-Lived Lander Network hiedium hlars Upper Atmosphere Orhiter Small I`lars Scout missions Small NOTE: h~issior~s ir~ boldf:~ are ~ short li~ ~eloped in this ch:~p~r ir~ re spon~ to the ~ ~ key scierdific que~ior~. Judging wientifie priority requires careful eonsider~ion md ehoiee of the eri~ria ~ are used to make ~e judgment.
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From page 177... ...
We are truly made of Restuff. Life requires organic materials md vol~iles' Doubly liquid whorl originally condensed from or acquired by the protoplme~ry nebula md later delivered in some degree to He plme~ by org~ie-rich biometry md as~roida1 debris.
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From page 178... ...
These icy bodies hold clues not only to the origin of He outer plied but also to the origin of Earths inventory of volatiles md possibly to the origin of prebiologiea1 organic myriad on Each. Because of He cold temperatures ~ trms-neptunim distances md because smaller objects are less likely to have undergone internal differentiation' the smaller Kuiper Belt objects (KBOs)
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From page 179... ...
How do the processes that shape the contemporary character of planetary bodies operate arid i~era~9 12. What does the solar system tell us gout the development Id evolution of xtrasolar p l=etary ~ems' Id ~ ice verse Comet Surface Sample Return Kuiper Belt-Pluto Explorer South Pole-Aitker1 ~ asir1 Sample Retum Jupiter Polar Orbiter with Probes Neptune Orbiter with Probes Kuiper Belt-Pluto Explorer South Pole -Aitker~ ~ shirt Sample Retum Comet Surface Sample Return Jupiter Polar Orbiter with Probes Kuiper Belt-Pluto Explorer Cassini Extruded Comet Surfed Sample Return Titan Explorer Mars Explor~ior1 Program Mars Upper Atmosphere Orbiter Venus Ir1 S itu Explorer Europa Geophysical Explorer Mars Lor~g-Lived Larder Network hi ars Samp le Retum hi ars Scierloe L ~ ornery Europa Leer hi ars Samp le Retum Mars Lor~g-Lived Larder Network al ars Samp le Retum al ars Scierloe L ~ ornery Venus Ir1 S itu Explorer Large Skeptic Survey Telescope Cassini Exter~d' Comet Surfam Sample Returrl' Europa Geophysical Explorer' Jupiter Polar Orbiter with Probes' Kuiper Be it-Pluto Explorer' Mars Lorlg-Live d Labeler' Mars Sample Returrl' Mars Science Laboratory' hears Upper Atmosphere Orbiter' South Pole-Aitker1 ~ asir1 Sample Retum' Venus Ir1 S itu Explorer Cassini Extruded Jupiter Polar Orbiter with Probes Kuiper Belt-Pluto Explorer Large Skeptic Survey Telescope Nepturle Orbiter with Probes Ethic Fume lids alphabetically drily what the SSE Survey oor~si~rs to be the mo~t relevant mission c~did~es to address the scientific Junior.
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From page 180... ...
This will permit ~ full suite of sophisticated elemental, isotopic, orgar~ic' arid mineralogical measurement to ~ performed in ~rres~i~ laboratories' studies thy will yield unprecedented information on the materials arid chemical processes thy dominated the initial sages of planet arid Ill formation. Although it is ultimately desirable to return ~ nucleus sample ~ ~ temperature sufficiently low to preserve the full suite of ices, ~e highest priority is given to ~ mission returning ~e full suite of organic materials arid non-ice minerals from the surface of art accessible short-period comet.
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From page 181... ...
If ~ solar system-wide rain of projectiles did indeed arise from He formation of the Mint plmets notably Uranus md Neptune Men the formation of He later may also have dynamically excited the Kuiper BelL leading to id present eollisionally sculpted structure md triggering ~ influx of KBOs into the inner solar system. An investigation of Pluto, Charon' md Kuiper Belt objects will yield ~ valuable record of He size distribution md flux of impostors within this yet-unexplored region.
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From page 182... ...
The CSSR mission will approach the surface of ~ short-period comet md gently collect myriad from one or more Dies on the surface or in ~e near-surface layer' returning orgar~ics arid non-ice minerals together with wear maintained in ~ frozen Bare. While this mission does not address the full range of scientific issues thy could be accomplished by collection of vol~ile-rich material from depth md returned ~ deep cryogenic temperatures' laboratory analyses of the cometary volatile minerals will firmly establish Be chemical standard for Be elemental arid isotopic Boundaries in short-period domed.
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From page 183... ...
Huygens descent dam arid mapping by several orbiter instruments will provide ~ first close look ~ Titans h~shrouded surface arid identify possible regions of liquid hydrocarbon lakes or seas. Result from Cassini arid Huygens will elucidate the fillips surfed sand atmospheric composition, md complex chemical procesms.
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From page 184... ...
The Ems of in situ measurements possible on ~e howl are directly relevant to martiar~ vol~ile evolution, including atmospheric sampling, surface mineralogy' arid chemical composition. The Mars Scout program also provides opportunities for missions thy investigate ~e evolution of the plus volatiles.
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From page 185... ...
Today, Mars appears hostile to life because of id thin atmosphere arid harsh radiation environment; yet life may have exited in ~e plus distant past or may still exist in subsurface reservoirs. The SNG memories are of martim origin but' because of Heir origin by random impact ejection' have urn own provenance md are unlikely to be typical of the surface rocks on hears.
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From page 186... ...
Cloba1 monitoring of Venus,~ atmosphere arid climate, in situ elemental' mineralogical, arid geochemica1 measurements of ~e surface' arid detailed dam on ~e noble gas isotopes md trace gas abundances of ~e atmosphere are necessary to understand Venues climate, md po~nti~ly ~e fax of Earths climax. Them are goals of the VISE mission' which will also prepare ~e groundwork for ~ future Venus sample-return mission.
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From page 187... ...
Some will be imaged, md their spectra will be partially resolved. To provide critical ground-truth for these exciting discoveries, NASA should pursue ~ parallel program of close-up exploration md analysis of our own Mint planets, their ring systems' md the Kuiper Belt.
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From page 188... ...
At the same time' He LSST will be able to determine He distribution of objects in He Kuiper Belt in grew devils which will enable comparison win the structure of extrasolar plme~ry disks. Moreover' the KBP mission will explore Kuiper Belt objects, including Pluto md Charon, first in order to understand their nature' composition, md evolution.
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