So Now that scientists realize that Uranus is a crazy world, how come there aren't any planned missions to it?

Question

Since Uranus is a little over 2 billion miles from the sun.

It would be half the length of a trip to Pluto..

since New Horizons takes 9 and a half years.

It would take 4-5 years to get to Uranus

Does anyone think the should plan a Uranus/Neptune MISSION together?

Answer 1

A U-N mission would be too complicated, as the planets aren't aligned properly for the slingshot move anymore.

I do believe there is a proposed mission to Neptune sometime around 2030.

But right now, we're much more interested in the potential of the moons of Jupiter and Saturn.

Answer 2

Yes, of course. But mission planning requires lots of time. You rarely start by: We need to visit Uranus. Instead you look for concrete scientific questions, which can be answered best by a probe.

When these questions are known, you define which instruments are needed and which trajectories are needed to let them do the job. When you know which instruments form the payload, you plan the spacecraft to carry them. Sometimes, not all possible instruments can be carried on the same probe, because of mass limits for the launcher or different orbit requirements. In that case, you have to split the mission into two missions or use subsatellites (for example Galileo and it's reentry vessel).

Finally, when this planning is done, a group of elderly skeptical scientists reviews the concept and evaluates if the mission is feasible. This Phase A can take already a few years from initial idea to work.

if it is, the mission goes to the next phase in planning. Now, the spacecraft gets really designed. The trajectory gets planned with more details, the instrument payload gets finalized and the spacecraft systems get defined. This all defined the specifications of the mission, which must be met by the spacecraft. This phase is rather short, a few months.

Phase C then starts with the development of all instruments and subsystems. C is the longest phase and results in all blue prints required for the mission. Finally comes the almost as long phase D - production and testing. All must work perfectly to the specs.

When D is done, the mission gets launched. The launch is the beginning of Phase E - Operations. The mission gets flown and all scientific data is gathered. When the spacecraft nears the end of its mission, Phase F starts to knock on the door.

Phase F is disposal - often the shortest and simplest phase of all, but sometimes, the disposal is also good for science, and done with careful planning and execution. Like the crash of SMART-1 on the moon.

This all means: From idea to launch can already pass 10 years. From launch to arriving at the planet, 7-15 years can pass. And finally, the science can only be for two short years... spaceflight isn't easy.

Answer 3

Voyager 2 visited Uranus.  So we know something about it.  Pluto has not been visited.  So New Horizons was sent in that direction.

The Voyager spacecraft made use of a fairly rare planetary alignment, that allowed visits to Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune in one trip.  Such an alignment won't happen again for a really long time.  Jupiter goes around the Sun every 12 years.  So about every 12 years one can use Jupiter to speed toward any given outer planet.  That's what New Horizons has done to get going to Pluto quickly.

Answer 4

The only reason Pluto got a mission is because there is some evidence that it has an atmosphere and since it is moving further away from the sun, there is a real fear that the atmosphere will solidify and disappear if we dont look at it NOW.  Despite that, New Horizons still almost didnt happen due to the cost and length of the mission. Uranus and Neptune only had missions to them because Jupiter and Saturn just happened to line up to give craft gravity assists.  If it wasnt for that, even those planets would not have had crafts sent in their direction. Money is a HUGE factor in any space mission, and the outer planets require large delta-V's to get to in a reasonable amount of time.   They are NOT Mars where we can go directly ever 26 months and the trip only takes 6 months.

Answer 5

wait im sure they already sended a space probe to uranus and it'll get their in 2010...or is that pluto??? i forgot XD

Answer 6

maybe you do need a probe up Uranus?

I've never heard it described as a crazy world before...maybe if you had a curry the night before!

seriously i think a mission there would be cool - unmanned probe type deffo

but lets start colonising the moon and mars at the same time- woo hoo lets go!