5 papers · 1 filter
Ice Giant Exploration Philosophy: Simple, Affordable
Philip Horzempa
The key to the exploration of the Ice Giant planets is avoiding cutting edge technology. Complexity produces delay and financial roadblocks. Simple robot scouts can be launched in…
Rigel Exoplanet Geologist
Philip Horzempa
The Rigel concept calls for direct, on-surface, exploration of an exoplanet. This proposal will send a robot geologist to an exoplanet in the tau Ceti system. At a distance of 10 l…
Europa Exploration Philosophy
Philip Horzempa
A Viking-class Europa Lander is a high-risk, high-cost venture. In its place, Europa should be explored by a series of low-cost scouts. These will be landers and small flyby craft.…
Calypso Venus Scout
Philip Horzempa
This is a mission to explore the surface of Venus from low altitudes. The Calypso Venus Scout consists of a high-altitude balloon and a instrumented Descent Module (DM). The DM is…
Star Watch Astrometry Probe
Philip Horzempa
The Star Watch extreme-precision astrometry mission (0.1 - 1.0 uas) builds on technology developed, and validated, during the SIM (Space Interferometry Mission) project. The sole s…