> Akon is a 40-centimeter-long, bullet-shaped probe. After separating from NASA's orbiter, Akon would be carried closer to Europa by a little spacecraft with thrusters. This will help aim the probe, which needs to strike Europa's surface at a 90-degree angle. This ferrying system could include an imager and a mass spectrometer to analyze Europa's thin exosphere.
> Akon has two parts: the tip contains the vital science instruments, which will have to act fast to gather all the information they need before Europa's extreme cold kills them. The rear part of the bullet is heated so that the communications equipment there can stay alive for a week or more--long enough to relay the data to an orbiter.
> Akon could target a spot near Europa's equator named Castalia Macula. It's an "anomalous" area, a depression that's covered in some kind of dark, reddish material. The area seems to be relatively young, so scientists suspect it contains material that was recently erupted from Europa's inner ocean.
http://www.popsci.com/european-scientists-want-to-shoot-this-giant-bullet-at-europa
>be Europa
>get shot
>>20917
CONVICT
MUSIC
>>20917
NASA to construct massive gun in space to kill God.
>>20917
longinus lance when
>popsci
There isn't even an official plan to enact this, this is just an idea NASA has and don't forget to mention the idea of electronics surviving a high velocity impact.
Trying to impact the surface from orbit at 90 degrees? The Impacter would need thrust vectoring and I don't see anything about that in the article. The "little spacecraft" has the thrust, unless that is also expected to impact the surface which seems like such a waste.
i lost. you win my internets for the day.
>>20942
you could time the launch so that you come up behind it at 90 degree angle
>>20917
> shoots Europa
> disrupts delicate balance of life there
> future discovers there is no life on Europa
> humans continue living in blissful ignorance
>>20917
So they went from talking for 20 years about sending a submarine rover probe and now we're down to this "bullet" probe?
Jesus Christ, Congress, gib NASA some dat AirForce money already. The entirety of NASA's budget isn't as much as one F-35 JSF costs.
>>21028
>The entirety of NASA's budget isn't as much as one F-35 JSF costs.
That's actually a myth. See https://starguyspeaks.wordpress.com/2016/01/05/what-is-nasas-budget-really/
>>20929
*CLAP*
*CLAP*
>>20942
> this is just an idea NASA has
ESA (Europe)
>>20917
>2025
>Europa having been impacted by a projectile from Europe, Europa declares war on Earth
>first interplanetary war
>Europeans vs. Europans
>>21028
I'd rather have a submarine mission than a bullet - we could see fish with the submarine, I'm sure.
>>20930
Kek came to post this
>>20981
No problem m'good sir.
>>21030
So its a general budget problem. Congress determines not only how much, but also where. They need a better lobby.
LOCKED UP
WON LET ME OU
>>21028
>an f-35 costs ~20,000,000,000
anon are you high
>>21160
That's a lot of zeroes...
>>21042
>and during today's meeting of NASA's Outer Planets Assessment Group, scientists expressed interest in getting the European Space Agency (ESA) involved
>Michel Blanc from the International Space Science Institute (he's not affiliated with ESA) listed several ways that ESA could get involved
>Working Akon into the Europa Mission would require "significant adjustments" to NASA's plan,
Who ever thought up the idea, the writer isn't explicitly telling us.
>>21442
Aliens!
>>21446
>Aliens are goading us into attacking Europa
>Europa attacks us
>Space war while the aliens that got us to attack in the first place profit
FUCKING MARTIANS
>>21469
MARE ORIENTALE WAS AN INSIDE JOB
That is the coolest
There are no aliens, they do not exist.
Life only exists on Planet Earth, and surrounding it. We have many weatherballoons, and they are all easily mistaken for alien craft, but they are not.
