Have you already forgotten about me, /sci/?
>>8013682
Yes. We're waiting for the next KBO in 2019. Shame i won't be Eris.
Triton is a much more important KBO
So important that Neptune stole it for himself
>>8013684
Did New Horizons spot a new one to head toward?
>>8013689
Yes
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_MU69
Just a little rock. Oh well hopefully they'll find an alien base on it or something.
>>8013688
We really need to send more missions to Neptune and Uranus. I heard Uranus actually looks different now, big white storms like Neptune seen through telescope. We just got unlucky when Voyager flew past, it was a calm summer.
>>8013692
Sadly this probably won't happen until the late 30's or 40's unless we make big breakthroughs in propulsion tech and a lot more funding.
I hope 'Morder' becomes the official name of Charon's dark region, because that's just so fucking great.
>>8013708
Mordor, even.
>>8013682
>Have you already forgotten about me, /sci/?
Nope.
Unfortunately, one we've gone through all the data NH gathered it's probably going to be a VERY long time before we hear about Pluto again.
>>8013688
>>8013692
The amount we know about Uranus, Neptune, and their satellites is downright pathetic. We really ought to get better at this whole "outer system exploration" thing.
>>8013741
>8 year travel time
That is why. Question, could the SLS get there faster purely because it's so big? More fuel = more delta-v no? if not, what about VASIMIR?
>>8013763
>Question, could the SLS get there faster purely because it's so big?
Yes, that is actually one of the more commonly proposed non-manned uses for it. Having a super-heavy launcher would allow us to throw big probes directly at outer planets.
It wouldn't be a cheap way to get there, but it would certainly increase the place of exploration.
>More fuel = more delta-v no?
Sorta.
>if not, what about VASIMIR?
Personally, I make it a rule to avoid getting too exited about the potential applications of new tech that's still under development.
Also, IIRC, VASIMIR propulsion needs a serious amount of power. That'd make it very hard to run in the outer system without a reactor.
>>8013789
I thought so, from when they mentioned using it for Europa. This is why I say any true space explorer should support SLS because it's better than nothing. Hoping something will fail literally what is to gain from that?
>>8013805
>Hoping something will fail literally what is to gain from that?
The money you were planning to spend.
Personally though, if the SLS does get scrapped I have no reason to believe it won't just be replaced by something dumber. We may as well just take the expensive rocket and be glad we got something useful.
>>8013820
Exactly, NASA is never going to be value for money. Just be glad they are still doing stuff.
>>8013692
>We just got unlucky when Voyager flew past
I think we got terribly lucky that Voyager 2 was able to visit all the gas giants in the first place. What if it didn't? We grew so accustomed to knowing what these planets look like from close-by, we almost take it for granted.
>>8013763
>what about VASIMIR
Space exploration in general and multi year projects in particular are very risk averse. They will not use anything too new or fancy and nothing that is untried. Having the entire project collapse because of one single failure before reaching the target will be very, very, very sad.
Anyways, the more we learn with the present probe about the outer objects will make it possible to tailor the instruments for the next generation space probes. There is little in the general press about Pluto but the scientists are churning out results (and PhDs) using the results gathered so far.
>>8014089
Apparently we only half about half the data so far from the Pluto flyby because the upload rate from New Horizons is only 1-2 KBs
>>8014154
>Plutonians need to upgrade to Virgin Media.
JA? VELL YOU NEED TO UPGRADE YUR UGLY FACE TO... NOT SO UGLY!
>>8014493
kek
