An Open letter to Curt Niebur
Greetings to Mr Niebur
A few years ago I read an astrodynamics paper by a professor Oksuko that proved that Cassini could at end of mission flyby Titan numerous times to an escape trajectory back to Jupiter in 9 years.So I thought perhaps you could combine several decadal survey goals into 1 mission?
Enceladus sample return could be combined with Jupiter Trojan tour along with Earth flybys(to return sample) is the mission that strikes me as most doable over long time frames
Enceladus sample return could be combined with Jupiter Trojan tour along with Earth flybys(to return sample) is the mission that strikes me as most doable over long time frames
Mr Niebur I suggest that the spacecraft returning from Saturn could use Jupiter to enter into an Earth flyby/Lucy trojan tour trajectory and that the outward and inward journey to saturn would provide multiple flybys of Jupiter and any other object of opportunity
But how to get the word out that the Discovery AO might consider this?
Commission several astrodynamic studies of these possibilities and add them to the AO library might have lasting benefits
Another idea worth considering, offer the SEP system being contemplated for the AARM as government furnished equipment not counted against the mission cap.Its solar arrays combined with the three RTG’s being offered could make a good combination at both Saturn space and the journey outbound and inbound
I will ask these questions when the 2016 AO come out to the Discover AO Q & A library but of course at that time it might be too late for a PI to take advantage of any astrodynamic ideas that has not been fully vetted
Thanks for your time
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Yellow Dragon, a mission to repurpose existing ideas into new ideas 