On Sun, 27 Oct 2002 [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
> Two key points: the word 'future', suggests 'someday, when/if we get the > technology, we might do something like this'. Forget it. This is not about > someday. This is about NOW. This is the future. It's 2002. The parts are > out there. They just require someone to assemble them. Why not us? John, I have to disagree. As Bruce I think mentioned, it was determined long ago that the only way to get through the Europa icecap was with a radioactive power source. We don't *have* sufficient radioactive power sources (RTGs) to do Pluto, a Europa orbiter and the Icepick mission. Further, given our lack of ability to produce Pu-238 currently any mission is going to be very expensive because we have to purchase the Pu-238 from the Russians (and they aren't making it available cheaply). Last time I checked there weren't electrical power lines running up to glaciers in Alaska or Mt. Ranier. Precisely *how* do you plan to get through the ice? Are you going to run a couple of plastic hoses from the probe to the surface so you can keep pouring gasoline and pumping oxygen down to some 2-cycle model airplane engine to generate heat? That doesn't sound like a realistic scenario to get people interested in a "real" Europa mission. It sounds like a stunt by a bunch of space enthusiasts. Go do the research on what is available (most of the info is on the web under "RTG"s, AMTEC, "advanced radioisotope power systems", etc.). NASA and the DOE are working on improved power sources, but their last attempt (the AMTEC [alkali-metal-thermal-to-electric conversion] project) has to my knowledge been defunded [Note 1]. Robert Some URLs: http://www.ans.org/pubs/magazines/nn/pdfs/1999-4-3.pdf (Has nice discussion of history and future space missions) http://nuclear.gov/space/space-desc.html http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2002/03sept_spacepower.htm http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/presrep95/energy.htm (There are a lot more references if you search on things like AMTEC, Pu-238 and RTG). Notes: 1. See Page 51 of DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY FISCAL YEAR 2002 BUDGET REQUEST http://commdocs.house.gov/committees/science/hsy72106.000/hsy72106_0.htm == You are subscribed to the Europa Icepick mailing list: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Project information and list (un)subscribe info: http://klx.com/europa/
