The total cost of the mission would considerably increase, and it could not be depended on to arrive at Pluto before 2020 (as against 2012 for the earlier plan).

Alternately, the second OP mission might be another high-priority NASA science mission: the "Comet Nucleus Sample Return", in which a spacecraft very similar to the cancelled Deep Space-4 mission would use a solar-powered ion engine module (also known as "Solar Electric Propulsion", or SEP) to rendezvous with a comet nucleus, land on its surface or dispatch a small separate lander to do so, drill up several samples of its icy surface material, and return these intact to Earth.

There are two other possible candidates for the second OP mission -- a Europa lander and a Titan lander -- but the general feeling is that these, to be planned at all properly, must wait for data from the Europa Orbiter and the Cassini-Huygens Saturn mission, so their selection would be very unlikely.

NASA's stated plan is now to launch an Outer Planets mission about once every three years -- but several SSES member pointed out that, given the cost of most OP missions and the cut in funding, one mission every four or five years is much more realistic.

The general reaction of SSES members to this seismic shift in NASA's plans was, as I say, highly indignant -- and in the second part of this report, I'll discuss both their scientific reasons for this, their recommendations as to possible ways to rectify the problem, and NASA's apparent early reaction to those recommendations.

Back To Part One of this Report

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MARSDAILY

Mars In The Early 21st Century
Pasadena - Nov 6, 2000
In the wake of last year's twin Mars failures NASA's exploration program is undergoing a period of crisis and drastic redesign. And while the Outer Planets exploration program - or lack there of - has left a bitter taste for many involved, plans for Mars are pushing ahead as SpaceDaily's Bruce Moomaw reports from Pasadena, where members of NASA's Solar System Exploration Subcommittee met last week.

OUT THERE

Astronomers Discover Apparent Outer 'Edge' to the Solar System
Tucson - Oct 24, 2000
Our solar system may have an outer "edge" just outside the orbit of Pluto, astronomers announced today. Their results suggest that early in the history of the solar system, some event stripped away most of the planet-building material beyond 50 times Earth's distance from the sun.

JOVIAN DREAMS

Life In The Cracks
Tucson - Nov 4, 2000
The cracks in Europa's icy crust are where life is most likely to be found on the Jovian moon, the conference heard last week. This means it might be possible to find life without having to drill down to the ocean far beneath the ice. It also means that any terrestrial stowaways on a space probe could easily contaminate Europa.

SPACE.WIRE