...of which there are quite a few: (1) While I mentioned this to the Europa Icepick group, not all ISSDG and Jupiter List members may have gotten the word: I've finally found the details of JPL's current Europa Cryobot design (at least as of 1999). http://techreports.jpl.nasa.gov/1999/99-2051 It looks very well designed. The "CHIRPS" cryobot itself weighs only 22 kg (carrying a fairly impressive set of miniature science instruments), and the entire spacecraft has a launch weight of about 2700 kg. The cryobot would melt its way down at about 500 meters per month, staying in touch with the surface lander (which would shallowly bury its own communications section in the ice for radiation protection) by leaving a trail of 13 tiny relay stations embedded in the ice behind it, and steering around sonar-detected obstacles. On reaching the (sonar-detected) ocean, it would release its front section on a cable down into the ocean to carry out life-detection experiments, including several cable-attached sensor pods -- but it has no long-range Hydrobot. While I have yet to read Frank Carsey's recent "Marine Technology Society Journal" article on the Cryobot, I have talked with him -- and he says that the main worry at this point is an accumulation of solid salts ahead of the Cryobot as it melts the (probably very salty) Europan ice, which hot-water jets alone might not be enough to deal with (although they may be added to the design anyway, since they could double the descent rate). (2) While the current plan for Mars Micromission spacecraft carried as piggybacks on Ariane 5 commercial launches has been dropped, there is an interesting chart listing the weights of science instrument payloads that this system could have delivered to various inner Solar System targets -- including about 30-50 kg of science on main-belt asteroid flybys, and 50-60 kg on near-Earth asteroid flybys. I imagine we'll see a revival of this concept fairly soon -- maybe under entirely European auspices. http://techreports.jpl.nasa.gov/1999/99-1532 (3) There is quite a detailed report on JPL's current concept for a Venus sample return mission -- http://techreports.jpl.nasa.gov/1999/99-2225 -- involving a balloon-launched Venus Ascent Vehicle, and a sample-retrieval craft that picks up the sample container in Venus orbit and then uses SEP to return home with a single 15-20 cm long rock core. Total mass for the entire craft is estimated at only about 3000 kg -- but the cost estimate from the 1999 study was only $500-600 million, which makes me suspicious that it may be another of JPL's pie-in-the-sky schemes. I might believe a $2 billion cost estimate -- once much of the needed technology has already been proven by a Mars sample return mission -- and I expect Congress to fund this mission on about the day hell (or Venus) freezes over; but the actual engineering design as proposed by JPL looks believable. If and when we see it, it will surely end up being another international operation. (4) Another paper -- http://techreports.jpl.nasa.gov/1999/99-2105 -- reiterates the description of the Europa Cryobot, and also describes the ultrasonic drill tha the Venus sample return mission would use to quickly acquire thar rock core sample. (5) One paper on the now-cancelled plan for Mars sample return in 2003-05 nevertheless contains some very detailed data on the levels of Earth germs considered acceptable on various parts of a sample-return spacecraft: http://techreports.jpl.nasa.gov/1999/99-1525 (6) Another report -- http://techreports.jpl.nasa.gov/1999/99-2036 -- includes one page with a design for an instrument JPL is currently designing to age-date Martian rocks in situ (using the Sr-Rb technique). == You are subscribed to the Europa Icepick mailing list: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Project information and list (un)subscribe info: http://klx.com/europa/
