Starship Asterisk*

How many Man-Made Satellite not in Earth Orbit are there.

Examples: Dawn, Pioneer and Voyager

Here is a list of space probes from WIKI

BMAONE23 wrote:Here is a list of space probes from WIKI

Yes, but... five of those objects are in open (hyperbolic) orbits with respect to the Sun, so are certainly not "satellites" of anything in the Solar System. Others are either satellites of planets or minor bodies, or satellites of the Sun (or both).

In light on the fact that so many newly discovered exoplanets are Neptune class, I would like very much to see Cassini class satellites to Uranus (Flamsteed?) and Neptune (Le Verrier?). I thinke we need to learn more about these Ice Giants. The weird axial tilt of Uranus, Neptune's moon Triton (and it's retrograde orbit), and the orbital resonances of Neptune and the Kuiper belt objects deserve investigation.

bystander wrote:
I would like to see Cassini class satellites to Uranus and Neptune.

Cassini took 7 years from launch to orbit around Saturn.

A Cassini mission to Uranus would probably take at least 10 years and
it might prove awkward to end up in the orbital plane of the Uranian satellites.

It would be much more interesting to have a James Webb telescope or a Europa lander, IMO.

I agree, it seems rather short sighted to cancel the JWST when it is was so near completion and launch. If it doesn't get re-funded, maybe we can sell it to the Chinese in return for a large portion of the US debt instruments they have purchased. Seems to me to be a creative way to reduce the debt and the Chinese can join the space telescope club.

I lamented the fact that the joint ESA/NASA Europa Jupiter System Mission fell under the budgetary axe earlier this year with its plans to explore all of the Galilean moons. That said, I still think we need to invest in long-term exploration of the Ice Giants (see above).

bystander wrote:I agree, it seems rather short sighted to cancel the JWST when it is was so near completion and launch. If it doesn't get re-funded, maybe we can sell it to the Chinese in return for a large portion of the US debt instruments they have purchased.

What you mean is for a microscopic portion of the U.S. debt they hold. A few hours interest on that debt, perhaps.

Chris Peterson wrote:What you mean is for a microscopic portion of the U.S. debt they hold. A few hours interest on that debt, perhaps.

Ok, I was being optimistic. A small portion, then, but we sell it as is. They can finish it and provide their own launch vehicle.

bystander wrote:
I agree, it seems rather short sighted to cancel the JWST when it is was so near completion and launch. If it doesn't get re-funded, maybe we can sell it to the Chinese in return for a large portion of the US debt instruments they have purchased. Seems to me to be a creative way to reduce the debt and the Chinese can join the space telescope club.

Well...I was really hoping that the Russians would buy it and name it after Gagarin
but the Chairman Mao Space Telescope wouldn't be bad.

bystander wrote:
I lamented the fact that the joint ESA/NASA Europa Jupiter System Mission fell under the budgetary axe earlier this year with its plans to explore all of the Galilean moons. That said, I still think we need to invest in long-term exploration of the Ice Giants (see above).

I don't think that we will really know what to look for before Jupiter & Saturn have been thoroughly explored.