NASA exploring 8 new space expeditions

Link

NASA is trying to decide among eight space exploration missions that include further exploring Venus and comet composition as well landing on an asteroid or examining the space around Jupiter. The space agency today began accepting solicitations for these space exploration opportunities and will ultimately pick one of them to begin perusing in 2009 with a launch date targeted at 2018.
---------------------
The moon's South Pole
Venus In Situ Explorer
Comet Surface Sample Return
Network Science: The interiors of Mercury, Venus, and Mars
Trojan/Centaur Reconnaissance
Jupiter Io Observer: Tidal heating
Ganymede Observer
----------------------
original NASA memo

so guys, what would you like to see NASA exploring? I think landing on an asteroid would be a gigantic leap in mans rule over technology. also, i have always been a big fan of the darkside of the moon. Do any of these projects pique your interest?

------------

BTW; i put this in government projects because NASA and the pentagon will soon be united.



[edit on 5-1-2009 by drsmooth23]

Maybe NASA should Study the middle easy. get all up in gaza's grill. maybe that would spur some SCIENTIFIC INTEREST AND BANTER!!!!

Originally posted by drsmooth23
so guys, what would you like to see NASA exploring?

I'd like to see more exploration of Venus. Even though anything on the surface won't last long, it's still worth it in my opinion.

BTW; i put this in government projects because NASA and the pentagon will soon be united.

Umm no they won't. There's talk of boosting cooperation between the two agencies (sharring the Delta IV and Atlas V instead of using the Ares I), but it's only an idea at this point. NASA is not going to become a Military agency.

What would I like to see NASA do? Oh thats a tough one!! 'NOT'.

How about NASA get us back to the Moon and on to Mars and bring us all that was promised back in 69 with a Moon base, mining industries, Mars colony and industry, space tourisim, the countless numbers of new industries and jobs that can be created by it.

Oh joy..they want to land on a asteroid. Ya and when they approach it, some radio will fail, or camera, or computer go dead..the usual "Nothing Admitted Since Adam" scenario. Sorry for my lack of enthusiasim but when NASA brings back the inspiration and wonder like they were doing in 1969, then perhaps my enthusiasim will re-ignite and have a reason to be excited about what NASA will do besides go in endless circles in Earth orbit and study more rocks.



Cheers!!!!

reply to post by jra


NASA is already a military organization. Every bit of data aquired by NASA, before it is released to the public, has to be approved by the president. Any data the president does not want the public to know about is classified..that makes NASA a military organization...period.

If NASA was a true civilian agency, it would not need the presidents approval to show us data, or classify anything...period.

Read the NASA charter and find out what it has been since its inception.




Cheers!!!!

Originally posted by RFBurns
What would I like to see NASA do? Oh thats a tough one!! 'NOT'.

How about NASA get us back to the Moon and on to Mars and bring us all that was promised back in 69 with a Moon base, mining industries, Mars colony and industry, space tourisim, the countless numbers of new industries and jobs that can be created by it.

Cheers!!!!

That would be very awesome, indeed. Moon Unit Zappa would be a nice place to study the long term effects of altered gravity and other cool stuff, and it is still close enough to earth that a rescue mission wouldnt be impossible if something went wrong. I think the trip to mars would drive almost anyone insane, though. however, I think mars would have more interesting anomalies with Olympus Mons and the Valles Marineris, but you would be pretty much on your own and a much longer way from home.

Yeah, the more i think about it, the more i vote for a long term moon base.

thanks for your input!

Originally posted by RFBurns
How about NASA get us back to the Moon and on to Mars and bring us all that was promised back in 69 with a Moon base...

Well that's what the Constellation program is all about. That's still happening. But as I'm sure you're aware, NASA likes to have multiple programs going at once.

Sorry for my lack of enthusiasim but when NASA brings back the inspiration and wonder like they were doing in 1969, then perhaps my enthusiasim will re-ignite and have a reason to be excited about what NASA will do besides go in endless circles in Earth orbit and study more rocks.

Personally I still find what NASA does to be very inspiring. What with all the orbiters, landers and rovers that have been sent out over the past years. Human spaceflight might be stuck in LEO right now, but that's hardly NASA's fault. If the US Gov't gave them proper funding we'd probably have bases on the Moon already.

Originally posted by RFBurns
If NASA was a true civilian agency, it would not need the presidents approval to show us data, or classify anything...period.

That's the first I've ever heard of such a thing (needing the Presidents approval). From what I know, NASA is obligated to release all their scientific and technical data to the public because they are a civilian agency.

I think they should turn some attention to Europa as well as a little more look at Jupiter.

Originally posted by RFBurns
How about NASA get us back to the Moon and on to Mars and bring us all that was promised back in 69 with a Moon base, mining industries, Mars colony and industry, space tourisim, the countless numbers of new industries and jobs that can be created by it.

I would like to see them establish an optical and radio telescope station on lunar farside. Something big and shielded from most Earth radio noise. It could be built in a crater like Pegasus by little autonomous robotic web spinners at first, and then maybe become manned at some later date. I think it might give us some very good data on the structure and timeline of the universe. Maybe alien radio signals. Who knows? It's something that could be up and running relatively soon and cheap, but continued and expanded upon over the course of several decades afterwards.

Maybe. Space science is kind of a tough sell in hard economic times. That's what killed the Apollo program. People like the pretty pictures at first, but they would rather have social support programs for the money.

Good thread. I am always intrigued by anything outside our atmosphere



The main reason I would love to live to a very old age is just to see technology rise. Seeing the first base or something on the moon would just be incredible.

reply to post by RFBurns


Couldn't have said it better myself. Just like the Mars rover that they mysteriously lost radio contact with, etc. Ridiculous.

Originally posted by RFBurns
reply to post by jra

 

NASA is already a military organization. Every bit of data aquired by NASA, before it is released to the public, has to be approved by the president. Any data the president does not want the public to know about is classified..that makes NASA a military organization...period.

If NASA was a true civilian agency, it would not need the presidents approval to show us data, or classify anything...period.

Read the NASA charter and find out what it has been since its inception.




Cheers!!!!

According to "Dark Horizon", NASA was set up as a part of the Department of Defence from day one, and it answers to, and is run by, the Vice-President, not the President, so Cheney has been burying his snout in NASA's trough for the past eight years.

The magnetosphere of Jupiter is the largest and most powerful of any planet's in the Solar System. Spanning several tens of Jupiter radii in its forward direction, and extending almost to the orbit of Saturn in its trailing direction, Jupiter's magnetic field is the largest structure in the Solar System not tied to the Sun.

hmmmm

source: Jupiter's magnetosphere

If one could see the magnetic field from Earth, it would appear five times larger than the full moon in the sky despite its far greater distance

we need a base on Callisto like yesterday!!!!

Originally posted by royspeed
According to "Dark Horizon", NASA was set up as a part of the Department of Defence from day one

That makes no sense, since the DoD already has there own space program that has a budget equal to, if not greater, than NASA's. Sometimes only partial information about there budget in released. And many of the details of there projects are classified. So why would the DoD need or want to manage two space programs?