Science Goals and Mission Objectives for the Future Exploration of Ice Giants Systems: A Horizon 2061 Perspective

Blanc, M.; Mandt, Kathleen; Mousis, O.; André, Nicolas; Bouquet, Alexis; Charnoz, Sébastien; Craft, Kathleen L.; Deleuil, M.; Griton, Léa; Helled, Ravit; Hueso, R.; Lamy, Laurent; Louis, Corentin; Lunine, Jonathan I.; Ronnet, Thomas; Schmidt, J.; Soderlund, K. M.; Turrini, D.; Turtle, E. P.; Vernazza, Pierre; Witasse, Olivier

doi:10.1007/s11214-020-00769-5

Cited by 13 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 255 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…6 A tentative survey of known similarities and differences between Uranus, Neptune and exo-Neptunes, established on the basis of our current knowledge and in the light of the six "key science questions" of the "Planetary Exploration, Horizon 2061" foresight exercise (https://horizon2061.cnrs.fr). From Blanc et al (2021), this issue.…”

Section: Towards Connecting Exo-neptunes and Ice Giantsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In order to better assess how Uranus, Neptune, and these exo-Neptunes are similar, and how they differ, the table shown in Fig. 6, reproduced from Blanc et al (2021), offers a concise summary of their similarities and differences in light of the six key scientific questions of the Horizon 2061 foresight exercise, based on our current knowledge. Fig.…”

Section: Towards Connecting Exo-neptunes and Ice Giantsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Observational Constraints on the Formation and Evolution of Neptune-Class Exoplanets

et al. 2020

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Among exoplanets, the small-size population constitutes the dominant one, with a diversity of properties and compositions ranging from rocky to gas dominated envelope. While a large fraction of them have masses and radii similar to or smaller than Neptune, yet none share common properties in term of orbital period and insulation with our ice giants. These exoplanets belong to multi-planet systems where planets are closely packed within the first tenth of AU and often exposed to strong irradiation from their host star. Their formation process, subsequent evolution, and fate are still debated and trigger new developments of planet formation models. This paper reviews the characteristics and properties of this extended sample of planets with radii between ∼ 1.6 and 4.0 R ⊕ . Even though we still lack real Neptune/Uranus analogues, these exoplanets provide us with key observational constraints that allow the formation of our ice giants to be placed in a more general framework than the sole example of our solar system.

show abstract

Section: Towards Connecting Exo-neptunes and Ice Giantsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Towards Connecting Exo-neptunes and Ice Giantsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Observational Constraints on the Formation and Evolution of Neptune-Class Exoplanets

et al. 2020

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The selected target should be as primitive as possible which might exclude near-Earth objects from the candidate list. Comets and P/D main belt asteroids including main belt comets would then appear as the most accessible and scientifically valuable targets, with comets being the preferred targets because of their activity that can be used to characterize the volatiles and also because their surface should be more "primitive" (Vernazza et al 2021b).…”

Section: Sample Return Of Primitive Matter From the Outer Solar Systemmentioning

confidence: 99%

From planetary exploration goals to technology requirements

Lasue

Bousquet²,

Blanc³

et al. 2023

Planetary Exploration Horizon 2061

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

“…Finally, perhaps most significantly, a New Frontiers-class Uranus orbiter mission would complement any potential mission to the Neptune system (e.g., Rymer et al 2021) by providing additional information about both ice giant planets and thus enabling comparisons and contrasts between the two planets and their systems. There is also strong interest from the international community in collaborating on such a mission (Arridge et al 2012;Fletcher et al 2020a;Blanc et al 2021;European Space Agency 2021).…”

Section: The Need For a Mid-scale Uranus Orbiter Missionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Case for a New Frontiers–Class Uranus Orbiter: System Science at an Underexplored and Unique World with a Mid-scale Mission

et al. 2022

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Current knowledge of the Uranian system is limited to observations from the flyby of Voyager 2 and limited remote observations. However, Uranus remains a highly compelling scientific target due to the unique properties of many aspects of the planet itself and its system. Future exploration of Uranus must focus on cross-disciplinary science that spans the range of research areas from the planet’s interior, atmosphere, and magnetosphere to the its rings and satellites, as well as the interactions between them. Detailed study of Uranus by an orbiter is crucial not only for valuable insights into the formation and evolution of our solar system but also for providing ground truths for the understanding of exoplanets. As such, exploration of Uranus will not only enhance our understanding of the ice giant planets themselves but also extend to planetary dynamics throughout our solar system and beyond. The timeliness of exploring Uranus is great, as the community hopes to return in time to image unseen portions of the satellites and magnetospheric configurations. This urgency motivates evaluation of what science can be achieved with a lower-cost, potentially faster-turnaround mission, such as a New Frontiers–class orbiter mission. This paper outlines the scientific case for and the technological and design considerations that must be addressed by future studies to enable a New Frontiers–class Uranus orbiter with balanced cross-disciplinary science objectives. In particular, studies that trade scientific scope and instrumentation and operational capabilities against simpler and cheaper options must be fundamental to the mission formulation.

show abstract

Science Goals and Mission Objectives for the Future Exploration of Ice Giants Systems: A Horizon 2061 Perspective

Cited by 13 publications

References 255 publications

Observational Constraints on the Formation and Evolution of Neptune-Class Exoplanets

Observational Constraints on the Formation and Evolution of Neptune-Class Exoplanets

From planetary exploration goals to technology requirements

The Case for a New Frontiers–Class Uranus Orbiter: System Science at an Underexplored and Unique World with a Mid-scale Mission

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About