Date: 7/06/2019 19:05:58
From: mollwollfumble
ID: 1396723
Subject: Space Probe update

What have I missed?

Space Probe update

Deep Space

Voyager – Both still operating and more than 40 years old.

New Horizons beyond Pluto – No new flyby Kuyper Belt target yet.

Juno at Jupiter – Original mission with 12 flybys completed July 2018. Still operational but no formal extended mission yet.

OSIRIS REx at Bennu – No sample collection yet. Sample return planned for 2023.

Hyabusa2 at Ryugu – No sample collection yet. To depart back to Earth December this year, arriving here in December 2020.

Dawn at Ceres – Retired in orbit, may crash some time in future.

BepiColumbo – Still 6 ½ years to Mercury. Heading for Earth flyby 6 April 2020.

Messenger – Crashed into Mercury in 2015

Parker Solar Probe – One approach to the Sun, heading for second Venus flyby later this year. 6 years to closest solar approach.

At Mars

InSight – Given up on deep hole for heat flux (same problem as Apollo). Only one Marsquake. Good for Martian weather.

Curiosity – Still doing loop-de-loops in the sandpit at the base of Mt Sharp. One wheel wearing thin.

Six (6) Mars orbiters are in operation: Odyssey, Mars Express, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, Maven, ExoMars, and also the Mars Orbiter Mission Mangalyaan from India.

Five (5) future missions to Mars planned for launch all next year, one each from the United Arab Emirates, China, Japan, Europe + Russia, and USA.

At Venus

Venus Express – died in 2014

Akatsuki – the only Venus orbiter currently in operation

Moon and Beyond

Chang’e 2, launched on 1 October 2010, in deep space, probably still active

Chang’e 3, launched on 1 December 2013, rover dead, lander probably still active & contains UV space telescope

Chang’e 4, launched on 7 December 2018, rover dead, lander probably still active

Chang’e 5-T1, a lunar mission launched in 2014, still active in Lunar Orbit

Chang’e 5, a lunar sample-return mission scheduled for launch in December this year

Space Telescopes in Orbit

Hubble – Still very active

Chandra – Still active

SOHO – Still active and streaming images to the web

STEREO – Spacecraft “A” still active. Spacecraft “B” went into an uncontrolled spin in 2016.

Solar dynamics Observatory – Still active and streaming images to the web

Gaia – Awaiting third data release in 2020-2021.

WISE – out of refrigerant but still active looking for near-earth objects

NuSTAR – out of refrigerant but still active in soft X-rays

Spitzer – out of refrigerant but still active in two bands of near infrared

James Webb – Cost has blown out to 20 times original estimate, and launch date has been pushed back twelve times, scheduled for launch in 2021.

Reply Quote

Date: 7/06/2019 20:02:22
From: mollwollfumble
ID: 1396769
Subject: re: Space Probe update

mollwollfumble said:


What have I missed?

Space Probe update

Deep Space

Voyager – Both still operating and more than 40 years old.

New Horizons beyond Pluto – No new flyby Kuyper Belt target yet.

Juno at Jupiter – Original mission with 12 flybys completed July 2018. Still operational but no formal extended mission yet.

OSIRIS REx at Bennu – No sample collection yet. Sample return planned for 2023.

Hyabusa2 at Ryugu – No sample collection yet. To depart back to Earth December this year, arriving here in December 2020.

Dawn at Ceres – Retired in orbit, may crash some time in future.

BepiColumbo – Still 6 ½ years to Mercury. Heading for Earth flyby 6 April 2020.

Messenger – Crashed into Mercury in 2015

Parker Solar Probe – One approach to the Sun, heading for second Venus flyby later this year. 6 years to closest solar approach.

At Mars

InSight – Given up on deep hole for heat flux (same problem as Apollo). Only one Marsquake. Good for Martian weather.

Curiosity – Still doing loop-de-loops in the sandpit at the base of Mt Sharp. One wheel wearing thin.

Six (6) Mars orbiters are in operation: Odyssey, Mars Express, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, Maven, ExoMars, and also the Mars Orbiter Mission Mangalyaan from India.

Five (5) future missions to Mars planned for launch all next year, one each from the United Arab Emirates, China, Japan, Europe + Russia, and USA.

At Venus

Venus Express – died in 2014

Akatsuki – the only Venus orbiter currently in operation

Moon and Beyond

Chang’e 2, launched on 1 October 2010, in deep space, probably still active

Chang’e 3, launched on 1 December 2013, rover dead, lander probably still active & contains UV space telescope

Chang’e 4, launched on 7 December 2018, rover dead, lander probably still active

Chang’e 5-T1, a lunar mission launched in 2014, still active in Lunar Orbit

Chang’e 5, a lunar sample-return mission scheduled for launch in December this year

Space Telescopes in Orbit

Hubble – Still very active

Chandra – Still active

SOHO – Still active and streaming images to the web

STEREO – Spacecraft “A” still active. Spacecraft “B” went into an uncontrolled spin in 2016.

Solar dynamics Observatory – Still active and streaming images to the web

Gaia – Awaiting third data release in 2020-2021.

WISE – out of refrigerant but still active looking for near-earth objects

NuSTAR – out of refrigerant but still active in soft X-rays

Spitzer – out of refrigerant but still active in two bands of near infrared

James Webb – Cost has blown out to 20 times original estimate, and launch date has been pushed back twelve times, scheduled for launch in 2021.

Looks like I missed the LRO around the moon and at least 12 space telescopes in Earth Orbit. But who’s counting.

Reply Quote

Date: 7/06/2019 20:04:06
From: Bubblecar
ID: 1396773
Subject: re: Space Probe update

Hubble’s certainly been damn good value.

Reply Quote

Date: 7/06/2019 20:12:26
From: dv
ID: 1396784
Subject: re: Space Probe update

mollwollfumble said:


mollwollfumble said:

What have I missed?

Space Probe update

Deep Space

Voyager – Both still operating and more than 40 years old.

New Horizons beyond Pluto – No new flyby Kuyper Belt target yet.

Juno at Jupiter – Original mission with 12 flybys completed July 2018. Still operational but no formal extended mission yet.

OSIRIS REx at Bennu – No sample collection yet. Sample return planned for 2023.

Hyabusa2 at Ryugu – No sample collection yet. To depart back to Earth December this year, arriving here in December 2020.

Dawn at Ceres – Retired in orbit, may crash some time in future.

BepiColumbo – Still 6 ½ years to Mercury. Heading for Earth flyby 6 April 2020.

Messenger – Crashed into Mercury in 2015

Parker Solar Probe – One approach to the Sun, heading for second Venus flyby later this year. 6 years to closest solar approach.

At Mars

InSight – Given up on deep hole for heat flux (same problem as Apollo). Only one Marsquake. Good for Martian weather.

Curiosity – Still doing loop-de-loops in the sandpit at the base of Mt Sharp. One wheel wearing thin.

Six (6) Mars orbiters are in operation: Odyssey, Mars Express, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, Maven, ExoMars, and also the Mars Orbiter Mission Mangalyaan from India.

Five (5) future missions to Mars planned for launch all next year, one each from the United Arab Emirates, China, Japan, Europe + Russia, and USA.

At Venus

Venus Express – died in 2014

Akatsuki – the only Venus orbiter currently in operation

Moon and Beyond

Chang’e 2, launched on 1 October 2010, in deep space, probably still active

Chang’e 3, launched on 1 December 2013, rover dead, lander probably still active & contains UV space telescope

Chang’e 4, launched on 7 December 2018, rover dead, lander probably still active

Chang’e 5-T1, a lunar mission launched in 2014, still active in Lunar Orbit

Chang’e 5, a lunar sample-return mission scheduled for launch in December this year

Space Telescopes in Orbit

Hubble – Still very active

Chandra – Still active

SOHO – Still active and streaming images to the web

STEREO – Spacecraft “A” still active. Spacecraft “B” went into an uncontrolled spin in 2016.

Solar dynamics Observatory – Still active and streaming images to the web

Gaia – Awaiting third data release in 2020-2021.

WISE – out of refrigerant but still active looking for near-earth objects

NuSTAR – out of refrigerant but still active in soft X-rays

Spitzer – out of refrigerant but still active in two bands of near infrared

James Webb – Cost has blown out to 20 times original estimate, and launch date has been pushed back twelve times, scheduled for launch in 2021.

Looks like I missed the LRO around the moon and at least 12 space telescopes in Earth Orbit. But who’s counting.


What a nice summary

Reply Quote

Date: 7/06/2019 20:13:58
From: mollwollfumble
ID: 1396787
Subject: re: Space Probe update

Bubblecar said:


Hubble’s certainly been damn good value.

I’ll say.

The Great Observatories Program consisted of Hubble (1990), Compton (1991), Chandra (1999) and Spitzer (2003). Three of the four still survive.

SOHO (1995) is another amazing survival, still outputting eight daily images to the web.

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