Space Scientists Wants to Dispatch Dedicated Probes to Unexplored Parts of the Solar System

[Husky_Khan]

Specifically, Kathleen Mandt, a Planetary Scientist of John Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, wants to send a dedicated probe to Uranus.

Heh... heh..

Planetary scientist lays out arguments for sending a dedicated probe to Uranus (Update)

Kathleen Mandt, a planetary scientist at Johns Hopkins University's Applied Physics Laboratory has published a Perspectives piece in the journal Science arguing that NASA should send a dedicated probe to the planet Uranus. She notes that a window is opening in 2032 for the launch of such a probe.

phys.org

Yeah I'm going there.

Planets that have thick atmospheres, on the other hand, are more difficult to study, especially if they provide no place to land. Still, Mandt argues, such research is important. And initiating the development of a probe to study Uranus, she adds, would be a good start. She further notes that now would be a good time to begin such plans because the next good window for launching a Uranus probe would be in 2032, when Jupiter's alignment with Earth will allow a slingshot maneuver toward Uranus. She even suggests a name for the probe: the Uranus Orbiter and Probe (UOP).

So this is interesting. Apparently Uranus has a very thick atmosphere and the best way to deliver a probe to Uranus is via slingshot maneuver, like what they used to travel back in time in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. Only this time instead of a probe being used to talk with Whales, a probe will be launched towards the surface of Uranus if it can penetrate the thick atmosphere.

Some more fun facts about Uranus...

Uranus is considered to be the odd duck of the solar system because of its 90-degree tilt relative to its orbit path—its tilt gives it the appearance of rolling along a plane. The tilt also gives the planet extreme seasonal variation as it circles the sun once every 84 years. And it makes observations from Earth cloudy and hazy, which is not very conducive to research efforts.

Very interesting. So Uranus not only is tilted on its side, but also experiences extreme seasonal variation. The cloudy and hazy part is unsurprising of course, as we established already.

Even more fascinating...

two heavy elements that make up the bulk of its atmosphere: helium and hydrogen. It also has 27 moons that circle the planet, following its odd tilt. Uranus also has what Mandt describes as "strange rings."

I'll be honest, when talking about heavy elements that make up the bulk of Uranus' atmosphere, helium wasn't exactly what first occurred to me. The twenty seven moons constantly circling Uranus seem pretty consistent with what we know about you tho, ngl. And those "strange rings" yeah... maybe you should get that checked out. 😬

 

[Captain X]