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comment by am_Unition
am_Unition  ·  3098 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: New Horizons is aiming for its next target!

I wish it was Eris





user-inactivated  ·  3098 days ago  ·  link  ·  

Way, WAY too far away for New Horizons. As in on the wrong side of the solar system too far away.

Interesting aside to this, Eris gives off the same profile as an object that is much easier to get to: Triton and we get the bonus of studying Neptune and its other moons out of the deal. Most of the planets we are finding around other stars are the size of Neptune and Uranus, yet we know very little about how they work and evolve.

am_Unition  ·  3097 days ago  ·  link  ·  

Yeah, I figured as much. Pluto and Eris are probably at conjunction every few hundred years or so, and then after you pass Pluto, you're only maybe halfway there.

far out brah.

Also... thank you. :)

Edit: psh, Eris isn't even in the ecliptic plane, nvm

user-inactivated  ·  3097 days ago  ·  link  ·  

    Edit: psh, Eris isn't even in the ecliptic plane, nvm

Neither is Pluto if we are being technically correct.

Uranus and Neptune should be our next serious targets. Both are mostly unexplored and have moons that are worth exploring all on their own. The problem is that we need RTG's to power them and due to nuclear weapons regs, that is... complicated

There are also 4-5 asteroids in the main belt that are worth sending something to orbit and see what is there, and the Jovian Icy Moons missions, etc. But I'd throw all my votes to the Ice Giants missions.