What is it about?
Jupiter's atmosphere is primarily hydrogen, which can be used as fuel for a nuclear powered ramjet that could fly great distances and operate for months. This article explores the technical feasibility of such a long range drone, and the scientific investigations it would enable.
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Why is it important?
Only one atmospheric probe has entered Jupiter's atmosphere to date, the Galileo probe, which sampled one position in Jupiter's tropics at 6.5 degrees latitude. The nuclear ramjet envisioned here would allow scientists to fly in, around, and under atmospheric features such as the Great Red Spot, providing unique information that no amount of remote sensing can produce.
Perspectives
The primary obstacle to a ramjet mission is the single-point failure issue, not unlike the liability helicopters face. Helium balloons are not the answer---they are heavier than the air on Jupiter!---but hot-air balloons might possibly afford a safety net. There is no question that this concept of flying the equivalent of a spy plane in Jupiter's atmosphere would provide stunning new vistas, which would complement all previous missions and fire the public's imagination.
Professor Timothy E. Dowling
University of Louisville
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Application of the MITEE Nuclear Ramjet for Ultra Long Range Flyer Missions in the Atmospheres of Jupiter and the Other Giant Planets, September 2003, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA),
DOI: 10.2514/6.iac-03-q.4.09.
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