Pluto-Kuiper Express A Go (Again ... For Now ...)

Guppy06 writes: "According to this article at CNN, Congress has approved $30 million for the bastard stepchild that is the Pluto-Kuiper Express probe. Originally slated for a 2004 launch, it's now pushed back to 2006, the last possible date to launch while Jupiter is in the right place and Pluto's atmosphere is still an atomsphere. After being snubbed by NASA and then by the Bush administration (and in light of the recent budgeting complaints), it remains to be seen if NASA will actually go ahead with it."

Posted two days ago

[Man of E]

Isn't this exactly the same story as this one [slashdot.org] posted two days ago? That story was both about this Pluto mission and the development of the Mars program, but a lot of the issues with Pluto have already been discussed.

A Few Points

[CheshireCatCO]

"Bastard stepchild..." The PKE was much too expensive. But, then, it was JPL's project, so no one was shocked at that. NASA was wise to have farmed it out for competing bids from other groups. And, in fact, the other groups are able to do at least as much (probably more) for less than JPL could. So calling it a 'bastard stepchild' seems unnecessarily derisive to me.

The 2006 launch date is not critical. One of the two competing team leaders has worked out that with Venus gravity assists, we could send a probe to Pluto in any given year. Furthermore, in reviewing the recent papers on the topic, he's determined that it is quite unlikely that the atmosphere will freeze out as was predicted a decade or two ago.

Finally, NASA wants this mission. The Bush administration does not, but congress does. And remember who controls the money: congress.