NASA selects new frontiers mission concept study

Delores Beasley/Erica Hupp
Headquarters, Washington June 1, 2005
(Phone: 202/358-1753/1237

RELEASE: 05-138

NASA SELECTS NEW FRONTIERS MISSION CONCEPT STUDY

NASA today announced a mission to fly to Jupiter will proceed to a
preliminary design phase. The mission is called Juno, and it is the second
in NASA's New Frontiers Program.

The mission will conduct a first-time, in-depth study of the giant planet.
This mission proposes to place a spacecraft in a polar orbit around Jupiter
to investigate the existence of an ice-rock core; determine the amount of
global water and ammonia present in the atmosphere; study convection and
deep wind profiles in the atmosphere; investigate the origin of the Jovian
magnetic field; and explore the polar magnetosphere.

"We are excited at the prospect of the new scientific understanding and
discoveries by Juno in our continued exploration of the outer reaches of our
solar system during the next decade," said Dr. Ghassem Asrar, deputy
associate administrator for NASA's Science Mission Directorate.

At the end of the preliminary design study, the mission must pass a
confirmation review that will address significant schedule, technical and
cost risks before being confirmed for the development phase.

Dr. Scott Bolton of Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, Colo., is the
Principal Investigator. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.,
will provide mission project management. Lockheed Martin Space Systems in
Denver will build the spacecraft.

NASA selected two proposed mission concepts for study in July 2004 from
seven submitted in February 2004 in response to an agency Announcement of
Opportunity. "This was a very tough decision given the exciting and
innovative nature of the two missions," Asrar added."

The selected New Frontiers science mission must be ready for launch no later
than June 30, 2010, within a mission cost cap of $700 million.

The New Frontiers Program is designed to provide opportunities to conduct
several of the medium-class missions identified as top priority objectives
in the Decadal Solar System Exploration Survey, conducted by the Space
Studies Board of the National Research Council.

The first NASA New Frontiers mission will fly by the Pluto-Charon system in
2014 and then target another Kuiper asteroid belt object.

For information about NASA's science programs on the Web, visit:

http://science.hq.nasa.gov/

For information about NASA and agency programs on the Web, vast:

http://www.nasa.gov/home/index.html



-end-


--
--------------

Jacques :-)

www.spacepatches.info