Post by Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe on Jun 2, 2005 3:01:21 GMT -6
NASA Selects New Frontiers Mission Concept Study
Pasadena CA (JPL) Jun 01, 2005
NASA announced Wednesday that a mission to fly to Jupiter will proceed to a preliminary design phase. The mission is called Juno, and it is the second in NASA's New Frontiers Program.
The mission will conduct a first-time, in-depth study of the giant planet. This mission proposes to place a spacecraft in a polar orbit around Jupiter to investigate the existence of an ice-rock core; determine the amount of global water and ammonia present in the atmosphere; study convection and deep wind profiles in the atmosphere; investigate the origin of the Jovian magnetic field; and explore the polar magnetosphere.
The selected New Frontiers science mission must be ready for launch no later than June 30, 2010, within a mission cost cap of $700 million.
The first NASA New Frontiers mission will fly by the Pluto-Charon system in 2014 and then target another Kuiper asteroid belt object.
More here from Space daily.com www.spacedaily.com/news/jupiter-moons-05b.html
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Excellent! A permament craft needs to be at Jupiter, simliar to the Cassini probe. And a close up of Pluto in the making...good stuff!... ;D