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>if we can build a new probe within the next year and a half The amount of cost and level of precision and robustness required tends to mean that these probes
by smeyer 11y ago
>if we can build a new probe within the next year and a half
The amount of cost and level of precision and robustness required tends to mean that these probes take years to plan, design, build, and test. It's also far from clear that the value of the science of sending an orbiter to Pluto would outweigh other potential missions (that also wouldn't have the same timing constraints.)
- yellowapple 11y agoSure, though it sounds like the ESA's been planning such a probe for quite some time already. The linked report even has specifics on instrumentation payload and the mass thereof, and includes a rendering and parts list for the proposed "POP" probe. We'd just need to do the "build" and "test" parts, and while that likely would normally take a couple years, I reckon we could cram that into a year and a half with enough effort.