THEO
Orbiter mission to Enceladus / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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This article is about the proposed space mission. For other uses, see Theo (disambiguation).
THEO (Testing the Habitability of Enceladus's Ocean) is a feasibility study for a New Frontiers class orbiter mission to Enceladus that would directly sample its south pole water plumes in order to study its internal habitability and to search for biosignatures.[2] Specifically, it would take advantage of the direct sampling opportunities of a subsurface ocean.
Quick Facts Names, Mission type ...
Names | Testing the Habitability of Enceladus's Ocean (THEO) |
---|---|
Mission type | Astrobiology reconnaissance |
Operator | NASA |
Mission duration | proposed: 6-month science phase[1] |
Spacecraft properties | |
Spacecraft | THEO |
Payload mass | ā80 kg[2] |
Dimensions | cylindrical: 4.5 m height Ć 1. m diameter[2] |
Power | 594 W from a 72 m2 solar array |
Start of mission | |
Launch date | 2024 if selected for development |
End of mission | |
Disposal | proposed deorbit onto Tethys |
Enceladus orbiter | |
Orbits | >600 [2] |
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The study concept was produced by the 2015 Jet Propulsion Laboratory Planetary Science Summer School under the guidance of TeamX.[1] The study has not yet been formally proposed for funding.