Mariner Jupiter-Saturn

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1975 concept artwork depicting the Mariner Jupiter-Saturn mission. P-15704Ac, Mariner-Jupiter-Saturn 1977 Spacecraft Artwork, 1975.jpg
1975 concept artwork depicting the Mariner Jupiter-Saturn mission.

The Mariner Jupiter-Saturn (also Mariner Jupiter-Saturn-Uranus [1] , MJS, or MJSU) mission, part of the Mariner program, was a proposed NASA mission aimed to deploy two probes to explore Jupiter, Saturn, Saturn's moon, Titan, Uranus, and Neptune. The mission originated from the Grand Tour program, conceptualized by Gary Flandro in 1964, which leveraged a rare planetary alignment occurring once every 175 years. [2] The mission was later replaced by the Voyager program in March 1977 due to discrepancies with previous Mariner missions.

Contents

History

The Mariner Jupiter-Saturn mission originated from the Grand Tour program, initially designed to dispatch two probes to explore the outer planets of the Solar System, including Pluto. In 1964, aerospace engineer Gary Flandro identified a rare planetary alignment that allowed a single probe to visit multiple outer planets. The mission gained momentum in 1966 when it was endorsed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. However, in December 1971, the Grand Tour mission was canceled when funding was redirected to the Space Shuttle program. [3]

In 1972, the Mariner Jupiter-Saturn mission was proposed, utilizing a spacecraft derived from the Mariner series, initially intended as the 11th Mariner series. The spacecraft was outfitted with 11 scientific instruments designed for detailed exploration. The spacecraft communicated using X-band and S-band microwave frequencies, ensuring stable connections over distances up to 20 astronomical units (AU). Each spacecraft was also equipped with a high-gain antenna and a set of radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTGs) to power the mission's operations. [4] That same year, Pioneer 10 detected radiation levels a thousand times more intense than anticipated. As a result, kitchen-grade aluminum foil was applied to specific cables to prevent radiation damage. NASA Office of Space Science, led by S. Ichtiaque Rasool, decided to equip the probe with a plasma wave experiment to study the interaction of solar wind with the magnetic fields and atmospheres of Jupiter and Saturn. [3] Kitchen-grade aluminum foil was also applied to specific cables to prevent radiation damage. [5]

Patch for the Mariner Jupiter-Saturn mission Mariner Jupiter-Saturn logo.jpg
Patch for the Mariner Jupiter-Saturn mission

The mission aimed to launch two identical spacecraft into trajectories that would enable them to reach all designated outer planets the probes were assigned. With attitude control systems and maneuver thrusters, the probes could adjust their orientation and correct their trajectory as needed, ensuring accurate arrival at their intended destinations. The gravity-assist technique, successfully demonstrated by Mariner 10, would be used to achieve significant velocity changes by maneuvering through an intermediate planet's gravitational field to minimize time towards Saturn. [4]

Two mission trajectories were established: JST aimed at Jupiter, Saturn, and enhancing a Titan flyby, while JSX served as a contingency plan. JST focused on a Titan flyby, while JSX provided a flexible mission plan. If JST succeeded, JSX could proceed with the Grand Tour, but in case of failure, JSX could be redirected for a separate Titan flyby, forfeiting the Grand Tour opportunity. [4] The second probe, now Voyager 2, followed the JSX trajectory, granting it the option to continue on to Uranus and Neptune. Upon Voyager 1 completing its main objectives at Saturn, Voyager 2 received a mission extension, enabling it to proceed to Uranus and Neptune. This allowed Voyager 2 to diverge from the originally planned JST trajectory. [3]

The probes would be launched in August or September 1977, with their main objective being to compare the characteristics of Jupiter and Saturn, such as their atmospheres, magnetic fields, particle environments, ring systems, and moons. They would fly by planets and moons in either a JST or JSX trajectory. After completing their flybys, the probes would communicate with Earth, relaying vital data using their magnetometers, spectrometers, and other instruments to detect interstellar, solar, and cosmic radiation. Their radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTGs) would limit the maximum communication time with the probes to roughly a decade. Following their primary missions, the probes would continue to drift into interstellar space. [4]

Voyager

Model of the Mariner Jupiter-Saturn probe. Voyager spacecraft model.png
Model of the Mariner Jupiter-Saturn probe.

On March 4, 1977, NASA announced a competition to rename the mission, believing the existing name was not appropriate as the mission had differed significantly from previous Mariner missions. Voyager was chosen as the new name, referencing an earlier suggestion by William Pickering, who had proposed the name Navigator. Due to the name change occurring close to launch, the probes were still occasionally referred to as Mariner 11 and Mariner 12, or Voyager 11 and Voyager 12. [3]

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<i>Voyager 1</i> NASA space probe launched in 1977

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<i>Voyager 2</i> NASA "grand tour" planetary probe

Voyager 2 is a space probe launched by NASA on August 20, 1977, as a part of the Voyager program. It was launched on a trajectory toward the gas giants Jupiter and Saturn and enabled further encounters with the ice giants Uranus and Neptune. It remains the only spacecraft to have visited either of the ice giant planets, and was the third of five spacecraft to achieve Solar escape velocity, which will allow it to leave the Solar System. It has been sending scientific data to Earth for 46 years, 8 months, 27 days, making it the oldest active space probe. Launched 16 days before its twin Voyager 1, the primary mission of the spacecraft was to study the outer planets and its extended mission is to study interstellar space beyond the Sun's heliosphere.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Voyager program</span> Ongoing NASA interstellar program

The Voyager program is an American scientific program that employs two interstellar probes, Voyager 1 and Voyager 2. They were launched in 1977 to take advantage of a favorable alignment of the two gas giants Jupiter and Saturn and the ice giants, Uranus and Neptune, to fly near them while collecting data for transmission back to Earth. After launch, the decision was made to send Voyager 2 near Uranus and Neptune to collect data for transmission back to Earth.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gary Flandro</span> American aerospace engineer

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Exploration of Neptune</span> Overview of the exploration of Neptune

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<i>Argo</i> (NASA spacecraft) 2009 NASA spacecraft mission concept

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neptune Odyssey</span> NASA orbiter mission concept to study the Neptune system

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Shensuo, formerly Interstellar Express, is a proposed Chinese National Space Administration program designed to explore the heliosphere and interstellar space. The program will feature two or three space probes that will purportedly be launched in 2024 and follow differing trajectories to encounter Jupiter to assist them out of the Solar System. The first probe, IHP-1, will travel toward the nose of the heliosphere, while the second probe, IHP-2, will fly near to the tail, skimming by Neptune and Triton in January 2038. There may be another probe—tentatively IHP-3—which would launch in 2030 to explore to the northern half of the heliosphere. IHP-1 and IHP-2 would be the sixth and seventh spacecraft to leave the Solar System, as well as first non-NASA probes to achieve this status.

<i>Interstellar Probe</i> (spacecraft) Proposed NASA space probe to travel 1000 AU from the Sun

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References

  1. "The Voyagers: An unprecedented on-going mission of exploration". NASASpaceFlight.com . Jeff Goldader, Chris Gebhardt. August 7, 2011. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
  2. Flandro, Gary (1966). "Fast Reconnaissance Missions to the Outer Solar System Using Energy Derived from the Gravitational Field of Jupiter" (PDF). Astronautica Acta. 12: 329–337.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Butrica, Andrew J. (1998). "Voyager: The Grand Tour of Big Science". In Mack, Pamela E. (ed.). From Engineering Science to Big Science: The NACA and NASA Collier Trophy Research Project Winners. Washington, D.C.: NASA. ISBN   978-1-4102-2531-3. Archived from the original on August 23, 2014. Retrieved August 25, 2014.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Smurmeier, H. M. (April 1, 1974). "The Mariner Jupiter/Saturn 1977 Mission" (1974)". Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University . Retrieved May 16, 2024.
  5. "Preview Screening: The Farthest – Voyager in Space". informal.jpl.nasa.gov. NASA Museum Alliance. August 2017. Archived from the original on July 1, 2019. Retrieved August 18, 2019. supermarket aluminum foil added at the last minute to protect the craft from radiation