Stories
Slash Boxes
Comments

SoylentNews is people

posted by chromas on Monday March 25 2019, @02:58PM   Printer-friendly
from the click-on-the-sun-for-more dept.

foxnews.com/science/nasa-wants-to-explore-neptunes-moon-triton-solar-systems-coldest-object-may-have-ocean-harboring-alien-life

The mission would involve developing a new kind of spacecraft known as Trident.

It would fly to Triton and take photographs of the icy object, while also studying its atmosphere and chemical makeup for signs of an underground ocean.

[...]

Little is known about Triton, and the only images we have of the moon were captured by the Voyager 2 probe in 1989.

During that flyby, space boffins spotted geysers on Triton that spewed out nitrogen gas. Nasa earmarked it for further research.


Original Submission

 
This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.
Display Options Threshold/Breakthrough Mark All as Read Mark All as Unread
The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.
  • (Score: 2) by DannyB on Monday March 25 2019, @03:23PM (4 children)

    by DannyB (5839) Subscriber Badge on Monday March 25 2019, @03:23PM (#819559) Journal

    Maybe it would be easier to exploit explore Europa before exploding exploring Triton?

    Or is Europa made more difficult a target due to Jupiter? Radiation? Navigation difficulty? Other?

    Is the greater distance to Triton irrelevant?

    Do we know more about Europa already? If so, doesn't that make mission planning (somewhat) easier?

    --
    People today are educated enough to repeat what they are taught but not to question what they are taught.
    Starting Score:    1  point
    Karma-Bonus Modifier   +1  

    Total Score:   2  
  • (Score: 1) by kanisae on Monday March 25 2019, @03:26PM (3 children)

    by kanisae (1908) on Monday March 25 2019, @03:26PM (#819564)

    The radiation environment at Europa is intense due to the proximity of Jupiter and the ice is thought to be quite thick. Callisto is in some ways a far better choice for life due to its low radiation environment.

    • (Score: 2) by DannyB on Monday March 25 2019, @03:51PM

      by DannyB (5839) Subscriber Badge on Monday March 25 2019, @03:51PM (#819586) Journal

      If a mission is going to travel out further than Jupiter, what about Enceladus which is a moon of Saturn. It seems to be thermally active beneath the ice.

      If a mission can go further out than Neptune, what about Miranda which is a moon of Uranus. (forget the adolescent joke about Uranus, it is properly pronounced more like urine-us)

      I am probably most intrigued by Enceladus.

      --
      People today are educated enough to repeat what they are taught but not to question what they are taught.
    • (Score: 2) by takyon on Monday March 25 2019, @05:56PM (1 child)

      by takyon (881) <reversethis-{gro ... s} {ta} {noykat}> on Monday March 25 2019, @05:56PM (#819646) Journal

      The miles-thick icy shell(s) should protect life close to Jupiter. But it still makes it a pain to send spacecraft there.

      --
      [SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
      • (Score: 2) by DannyB on Monday March 25 2019, @06:15PM

        by DannyB (5839) Subscriber Badge on Monday March 25 2019, @06:15PM (#819661) Journal

        Miles thick makes it difficult to penetrate too.

        --
        People today are educated enough to repeat what they are taught but not to question what they are taught.