Re: Timelines

IsaacKuo schrieb:

> You can send more than one probe; one with the drive and
> another with the sensors and long range comms suite.

You'd only see a flash of light or something, without knowing if you 
just travelled to the next star or only used a fancy kind of self 
destruction. Having the test vehicle return and report should be part of 
any serious mission description.

> Another option is to use a bigger rocket, of course, if
> available.

That collides with the "within a decade"-statement as Cassini already 
used the biggest laucher available.

>> To use an ion drive you'd need primarily a adequate power source and
>> cooling vanes while making any impulsive manoeuvres impractical.
> 
> Sticking with mature technology, we're looking at solar-electric.
> Current solar panels provide power levels appropriate for current
> ion rockets.

That would work maybe up to the mars orbit, but at the distance of 
jupiter there is in (comparison to earth) only about 3% of the solar 
irradiation per area left.

Robert