This is an excellent decade for planetary exploration. During the years before 2010, we have scheduled:

Two exciting missions to Mercury - MESSENGER and Bepi-Colombo.
A mission to Venus - Venus Express.
Many more missions to Mars, including those already in operation.
We have observed Jupiter with Galileo and Cassini and will hopefully send JIMO to it before the decade has ended.
Cassini will explore Saturn and its environment.
And hopefully, we'll even launch Pluto-Kuiper Belt Express.

And there are so many more missions to solar system objects that are returning samples- such as MUSES-C (now Falcon), Stardust, and Genesis.

It's really exciting.

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"Too low they build, who build beneath the stars". - Edward Young, 1745

Don't forget all the other things. MER, Beagle 2, Stardust, Genesis, Voyager 2 reaching the edge of the heliosphere.

And what about SIM or TPF, searching for Earthlike planets around other stars.

Don't forget DAWN and Deep Impact!

=D>

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-Jack Higgins
"Scientists discover huge nuclear fusion reaction in progress only 93 million miles from earth - visible to naked eye even during the day!"
My Celestia Add-ons site.

Is TPF anywhere past the planning stage yet?

Oops. ops:

Well it is exactly the same spacecraft as Mars Express, minus Beagle 2, and 2 solar panel segments... Venus has a funny habit of attracting spacecraft built entirely from spare parts... Magellan was the exact same...

__________________
-Jack Higgins
"Scientists discover huge nuclear fusion reaction in progress only 93 million miles from earth - visible to naked eye even during the day!"
My Celestia Add-ons site.

From linux insider dot com



here they are working on Venus Express

http://sci.esa.int/science-e/www/obj...objectid=35955
http://sci.esa.int/science-e/www/obj...objectid=35954

Information on Kepler

http://www.kepler.arc.nasa.gov/


Some info on Corot

http://www.esa.int/export/esaSC/SEMO...D_index_0.html

Minus radar, that's a shame. I was remembering that it didn't include even camera, but looks that I was wrong.

The BepiColombo lander was cancelled some time ago.

Russians with the Roscosmos scientific minds have a Phobos-Grunt Phobos sample return mission.
Venus-D-Venera lander is planned to survive from a few months to 1 year on the surface.

Japan and Europe to Mercury?
http://www.badastronomy.com/phpBB/vi...amp;highlight=
Europeans are thinking of joint efforts with India, the Scientists of India have an idea for chandrayaan-1
http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMZDU5DIAE_index_0.html
China has been working with Europe's ESA on double-Star, Cnsa might do some more manned flight and Chang'e 1 might be coming soon

the next Hubble could be JWST, the JWST is a large scape scope for infra red NASA / ESA have plans for this super space telescope

Wasn't JIMO cancelled ?

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Yes, but now we have Juno.

In my opinion, JIMO sounded great. Unfortunately it was way too ambitious and expensive, you now what such projects tend to become.

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Science is a way of trying not to fool yourself. The first principle is that you must not fool yourself, and you are the easiest person to fool.
-- Richard Feynman

Europe are doing a Solar Orbiter - ESA report
http://sci.esa.int/science-e/www/obj...objectid=37625
http://www.esa.int/esaSC/SEMTWG1A6BD_index_0.html
Solar Orbiter will study the dynamo deep inside the Sun that is the probable source of the magnetic activity (sunspots) seen at the surface.

NASA to go for Mercury. Goes into orbit around Mercury in 2011
http://www.mercurytoday.com/news/viewsr.html?pid=17149

MESSENGER will map nearly all of surface of Mercury in colours, imaging most of the color areas unseen by Mariner 10, and chart the composition of the planet’s surface

What is the current situation with the dual spacecraft solar mission which was to study the Sun in 3-D?

__________________
Science is a way of trying not to fool yourself. The first principle is that you must not fool yourself, and you are the easiest person to fool.
-- Richard Feynman

The mission is less surprisingly named STEREO (Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory), and seems to be doing fine. Development phase is in the final stages and their instruments are being integrated onto the two spececraft.

__________________
Science is a way of trying not to fool yourself. The first principle is that you must not fool yourself, and you are the easiest person to fool.
-- Richard Feynman

Venus link 1
Venus link 2

I love the AN-124

Here is to hoping t/Space used the AN-225 for its craft.

Date Released: Tuesday, January 10, 2006
Source: Coalition for Space Exploration
http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=18691
The Vision for Space Exploration this week enters its third year as the nation continues on a steadfast course to continue flying the Space Shuttle, finish assembly of the International Space Station, return humans to the Moon, and continue on to Mars


Solar Orbiter describes exactly what the spacecraft will do - it will orbit the Sun
http://www.esa.int/esaSC/SEMTWG1A6BD_index_0.html
http://sci.esa.int/science-e/www/obj...objectid=38633
17 Jan 2006
The assessment study of the Solar Orbiter has addressed all mission areas, from the scientific requirements to the payload complement, the space and ground segments, and the respective technology readiness, including all corresponding programmatic aspects.

NASA's MSL = two rovers
http://www.bautforum.com/showthread....503#post328503

today until 2020...What are the significant things
http://www.bautforum.com/showthread....768#post441768

The New Horizons mission to pluto is going great !
Progress of New Horizons in the Solar system
JWST did go a little bit over-budget but the missions looks very good
http://www.bautforum.com/showthread.php?t=20177

ESA are going ahead with missions like Smart-1 and Venus Express
Smart-1
China's next Shenzhou got delayed but they have a robotic mission to the Moon almost ready
China to the Moon!

The cancellation of TPF, which would have cost Nasa about $1 billion, was condemned by astronomers attending the American Association for the Advancement of Science conference, who said that the mission had great scientific potential.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article...048473,00.html
In the latest budget Mars research has been cut and outrigger Keck telescopes got axed

Its not like TPF will never be. I can see a CaLV version launched with greater capability.

NASA tests next-generation space capsules
http://news.com.com/NASA+tests+next-...3-6047196.html
"The tests are the first look we have at the aerodynamics of the next generation of the crew exploration vehicle," said Thomas Edwards, director of aeronautics at NASA Ames. The space shuttle marks the final stages of the first era of space exploration, and the CEV models are kicking off the next stage, according to Edwards.

NASA Ames helping to design new space vehicle
http://www.twincities.com/mld/twinci...y/14050179.htm
NASA Ames Research Center is helping to build a space vehicle that is expected to carry astronauts to the moon in less than six years.

Wind tunnel tests for space shuttle successor
http://www.newscientistspace.com/cha...eflight/dn8819
NASA researchers have begun wind tunnel simulations for the spaceship destined to replace the shuttle – the Crew Exploration Vehicle. The tests are simulating the air flow and temperature changes the vehicle might experience in atmospheric flight.



Planetary Society Slams NASAs Budget
http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Pl...As_Budget.html
The Planetary Society has called the Bush administration's five-year budget for NASA, which the White House submitted Feb. 6, "an attack on science," and has urged its members to contact Congress and the administration to redirect budget priorities toward more space science funding - even if it means terminating the space shuttle program


Mars Society raises a stink about methane engine
http://www.marssociety.org/
Before the FY07 budget was released and everyone's attention focused on cutbacks in NASA's science program, there had been some attention to a decision by the agency to delete a methane/LOX engine as a requirement for the CEV. The engine was seen as a technology trailblazer for later human missions to Mars, where in situ resource utilization would allow future crews to manufacture the propellants needed for the return trip there. The Mars Society hasn't forgotten the deletion of the engine, and this week sent a letter to every member of Congress, asking them to revive the effort. "We hope that Congress and NASA will find a way to restore this program and fully adopt a policy of using common hardware as much as possible in order to save time and money."

NASA Agrees to Review What's on the Chopping Block
Andrew Lawler
http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/conten...311/5766/1359a
NASA's science chief has offered space and earth scientists half a loaf in response to withering complaints about cuts in the agency's proposed 2007 budget


NASA, astronomers, and the establishment of research priorities
http://www.thespacereview.com/article/572/1
On February 15th NASA Administrator Michael Griffin testified before the House Science Committee about the newly submitted NASA budget for fiscal year 2007. The hearing was polite and nonconfrontational, and based upon the tone it was clear that Griffin still enjoys a tremendous amount of bipartisan support in Congress. Nevertheless, Griffin was in an awkward situation, forced to explain why NASA’s budget featured substantial increases in funding for the agency’s human spaceflight programs, and virtually no growth—in fact, an actual cut once inflation is factored in—for the agency’s science programs. Less than a year earlier Griffin had announced that he would not take any money from the agency’s science budget to pay for problems with its human spaceflight projects. With the refreshing frankness and honesty that is a true rarity in Washington, Griffin openly admitted that he had broken that promise.

Why the USA and NASA need astrobiology
http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewnews.html?id=1098
"I am an astrobiologist, for 50 years an astronomer, and before that a physicist. With my colleague and friend Roger Angel, we started the process of learning how to detect Earth-like planets in 1985. I am a co-author of the NASA booklet The Terrestrial Planet Finder. I have served with scientific and technical teams to develop that mission since 1995."

New Horizons II: Doubling UP in the Outer Solar System
http://space.com/scienceastronomy/ne...ns_040617.html

ESA's Rosetta
http://sci.esa.int/science-e/www/obj...objectid=38931

Let's roll

This proves my point about the claim that 'we don't spend enough on robotics' is a lie.

I don't see any need to take that tone. I can think of plenty of nice-to-haves that are on the drawing board at best:

- a replacement for SOHO
- a replacement for Landsat-7
- a Mercury lander (originally part of BepiColumbo but removed due to budget issues)
- any mission to Uranus or Neptune
- any follow-on missions to the EOS series

I'm not saying that these should necessarily be funded any time soon (except maybe for the replacements), but just that whether or not we spend enough on robotic missions depends on a very subjective definition of "enough." Those who say we should spend more on robotic missions aren't lying; they just have a different definition of "enough."

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Everything I need to know I learned through Googling.