Abstract
The international planetary science community met in London in January 2020, united in the goal of realizing the first dedicated robotic mission to the distant ice giants, Uranus and Neptune, as the only major class of solar system planet yet to be comprehensively explored. Ice-giant-sized worlds appear to be a common outcome of the planet formation process, and pose unique and extreme tests to our understanding of exotic water-rich planetary interiors, dynamic and frigid atmospheres, complex magnetospheric configurations, geologically-rich icy satellites (both natural and captured), and delicate planetary rings. This article introduces a special issue on ice giant system exploration at the start of the 2020s. We review the scientific potential and existing mission design concepts for an ambitious international partnership for exploring Uranus and/or Neptune in the coming decades. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue 'Future exploration of ice giant systems'.
Highlights
Cite this article: Fletcher LN, Simon AA, Hofstadter MD, Arridge CS, Cohen IJ, Masters A, Mandt K, Coustenis A. 2020 Ice giant system exploration in the 2020s: an introduction
The international planetary science community met in London in January 2020, united in the goal of realizing the first dedicated robotic mission to the distant ice giants, Uranus and Neptune, as the only major class of solar system planet yet to be comprehensively explored
This article introduces a special issue on ice giant system exploration at the start of the 2020s
Summary
Cite this article: Fletcher LN, Simon AA, Hofstadter MD, Arridge CS, Cohen IJ, Masters A, Mandt K, Coustenis A. 2020 Ice giant system exploration in the 2020s: an introduction. Cite this article: Fletcher LN, Simon AA, Hofstadter MD, Arridge CS, Cohen IJ, Masters A, Mandt K, Coustenis A. 2020 Ice giant system exploration in the 2020s: an introduction. One contribution of 18 to a discussion meeting issue ‘Future exploration of ice giant systems’. The international planetary science community met in London in January 2020, united in the goal of realizing the first dedicated robotic mission to the distant ice giants, Uranus and Neptune, as the only major class of solar system planet yet to be comprehensively explored. This article introduces a special issue on ice giant system exploration at the start of the 2020s. We review the scientific potential and existing mission design concepts for an ambitious international partnership for exploring Uranus and/or Neptune in the coming decades. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue ‘Future exploration of ice giant systems’
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