That makes sense, I suppose. After reading the post last week about "space trash," I suppose these abandoned satelittes will just add to the problem. And I agree with Naperlou, that while reentry might be problematic, the ability to reexamine the physical vehicle would certainty shed some light on how composite structures fare under long-term atmospheric pressures.
Ann, I looked it up. You are correct. I think it is one of the first interplanetary flights. Of course it is only going as far as Jupiter. The solar panels are somewhat large becuase of the distance from the sun. As mentioned on the NASA web site, you are five times the distance from the earth to the sun, so since solar radiation follows a power law, you need 25 times the area you would need in earth orbit.
Beth, according to this info from Juno's original launch http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2011/08/ula-atlasv-nasa-juno-jupiter/ it will come back in 2013 for a flyby which will give it a gravitational assist, or slingshot, to send it all the way out to Jupiter. But there's no word about a final return, so perhaps, as Glenn says, it won't come back at all. It does carry comms equipment and will be transmitting data while it's out there.
@Ann: Thanks for another interesting article, and for another reminder that even though the shuttle program may be over, interplanetary exploration is still going strong. Besides the Juno mission to Jupiter, the Curiosity rover will be landing on Mars later this summer. There are a lot of exciting things going on.
Liquid infiltration of carbon-carbon composites is an interesting topic. You can find a good review here. To me, one of the most interesting things is that you can make a very strong ceramic composite material by pyrolizing wood which has been treated with sodium silicate. This way you can take advantage of the natural structure of wood, along with the strength of a silicon carbide ceramic.
When it comes to space applications of composites, I've been very interested in the application of shape-memory composites as actuators for the deployment of solar arrays, reflectors, and other space hardware. These materials offer a significant weight savings compared to traditional mechanical actuation systems.
naperlou; Search "Satrdust". Sample return mission from comet Wild 2. Also a Mars moon sample return is in discussion. I'm not sure if it would be Phobos or Deimos. And I think Galileo did an Earth flyby on its gravity-assist flight to Jupiter. Technically not a 'return', just a visit.
Glenn, that may have been one of the the reasons to fly Gailieo into Jupiter, but it also was able to send back some interesting information while it was plunging to its death.
Beth, I am unaware of ANY interplanetart flights that have retruned to earth. The original Vouager has now passed out of the solar system, I believe. The craft either fall into a planet or just keep on going. Becuase a lot of them use nuclear power sources (solar is not viable far from the sun), they can last for an incredible period of time. These satelites send back information and that is what they are used for. It would be interesting to recover one to observe the effects of being in space for a long time, but recovering one would be problematic.
This is probably a one way trip - I don't recall mention of a sample return function. The last Jupiter mission that I remember was Galileo, which was eventually deliberately sent into the Jovian atmosphere and destroyed. The reasoning that I heard was to prevent possible contamination of Europa, which may have a liquid ocean and possibly extra-terrestial life.
Hard to believe we can get a spacecraft to Jupiter. So if the craft gets to its destination in 2016, when is it slated to come back to earth? That's an incredible journey and one that will likely give engineers some real feedback on the durability and structural integrity of composites going forward.
Hard to believe we can get a spacecraft to Jupiter. So if the craft gets to its destination in 2016, when is it slated to come back to earth? That's an incredible journey and one that will likely give engineers some real feedback on the durability and structural integrity of composites going forward.
For 3D printing to make the jump from rapid prototyping to manufacturing, engineers will need to find easier ways to move products from their CAD screens to their printers.
Gigabit and PoE are two networking technologies moving ahead in tandem as industrial users power remote Ethernet devices such as IP security cameras at 1,000 Mbps over existing CAT5 cable.
New versions of BASF's Ecovio line are both compostable and designed for either injection molding or thermoforming. These combinations are becoming more common for the single-use bioplastics used in food service and food packaging applications, but are still not widely available.
From Dell / Intel® New Paradigms in Design Work Scott Hamilton, vertical market strategist for Dell Precision workstations, 5/2/2013 5
Early in my career, I worked as a draftsman and remember the days of drawing on vellum with numbered pencils and Mylar with plastic lead. This was a fun experience in the sense that I ...
I've been using workstations for more than 10 years and love finding ways to get more performance from my system. With demanding professional applications that require more power each ...
A lasting memory from my first job as an engineer in an auto assembly plant is standing on hard concrete at six in the morning, vending-machine coffee clutched in hand, listening to ...
For industrial control applications, or even a simple assembly line, that machine can go almost 24/7 without a break. But what happens when the task is a little more complex? That’s where the “smart” machine would come in. The smart machine is one that has some simple (or complex in some cases) processing capability to be able to adapt to changing conditions. Such machines are suited for a host of applications, including automotive, aerospace, defense, medical, computers and electronics, telecommunications, consumer goods, and so on. This radio show will show what’s possible with smart machines, and what tradeoffs need to be made to implement such a solution.
To save this item to your list of favorite Design News content so you can find it later in your Profile page, click the "Save It" button next to the item.
If you found this interesting or useful, please use the links to the services below to share it with other readers. You will need a free account with each service to share an item via that service.
Tweet This
2 
