Within the next decade, NASA should launch a probe to Uranus and create a vessel to investigate if Saturn’s ice moon Enceladus harbours life in its inner ocean.
These are only a few of the findings from the most recent decadal assessment of planetary sciences and astrobiology.
The 780-page study, which was issued today, prioritises scientific topics and concepts for the next decade in US planetary research.
The study, which was written by a 19-member steering group assembled by the US National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, focuses on 12 critical science problems organised into three categories.
The evolution of the protoplanetary disc, accretion in the outer solar system, and the origin of the Earth and other bodies in the inner solar system are all covered in “Origins.” “Worlds” examines the evolution of planets and their companion bodies in the solar system, as well as their interactions.
Meanwhile, “life” investigates the development of life on Earth as well as the potential of life on other planets.
The paper lays forth a list of space probes that will be needed to solve these issues. The Uranus Orbiter and Probe (UOP), a $4 billion multi-year mission aimed at learning more about the Uranian system and ice giants, is given top priority among large-class missions.
Uranus and Neptune are the two planets that have never been explored by a dedicated orbital probe, and the UOP would fly past Uranus multiple times and contain a probe to sample the planet’s atmosphere.
A launch within the next decade is “feasible on currently existing launch vehicles,” according to the research.
The Enceladus Orbilander mission, which would explore the Saturnian satellite’s inner ocean and look for signs of life, is the second most important large-class mission.
NASA’s Cassini mission, which was launched in 1997, determined that the frozen moon possesses a subterranean ocean that discharges water into space.
The $5 billion Enceladus Orbilander would conduct orbital studies of Enceladus for nearly a year before landing on the moon to explore the plume from its inner ocean for two years.
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