A NASA scientist urges the agency to plan and deploy a Uranus mission to learn more about the planet's mysteries and what it has to offer the field of planetary science.
Uranus Mission Proposed
According to Futurism, this proposed mission will examine the planet's formation, extent of its migration post-formation, internal structure, interior magnetosphere, internal atmosphere, interior ring system, and whether there are any moods with aquatic subsurfaces.
This was specifically suggested by Kathleen E. Mandt, an astrophysicist from NASA. Mandt's work was included in the Science journal. She mentions that the mission will educate and inspire various generations regarding the history and far-reaching mysteries of the solar system.
According to Gizmodo, Mandt argues that the specialized Uranus mission is long-overdue. Mandt writes that the community of space scientists has waited for over three decades to look into this ice giant. Closer investigations of the planet could help relay the history of the earth's immediate surroundings and demonstrate how small cosmic bodies distribute water and other life building blocks towards the inner solar system.
Other questions that need to be answered include why the planet has a grave tilt that leads to a great variation in atmospheric seasons over an orbit worth 84 earth years.
ALSO READ: Scientists Explain Why Ice Giants Uranus and Neptune Have Different Shades of Blue
Mysterious Uranus
Aside from being the 7th planet from the solar system's sun, the diameter of Uranus is also the third largest across the solar system. Futurism reports that it is located around 1.6 to 1.98 billion miles away from planet earth.
Similar to Jupiter and Saturn, Neptune and Uranus are filled with helium and hydrogen, which are two of the lightest elements in the universe. Mandt says that Uranus and Neptune are referred to as ice giants because they contain heavier elements relative to hydrogen. Saturn and Jupiter are often referred to as gas giants because of their hydrogen-dominated compositions.
Uranus is quite bizarre. It leaks occasionally, has an odd tilt, and has 27 moons of its own. However, despite its intriguing oddities, NASA has not yet deployed a specialized craft to visit the planet since the 1986 fly-by of Voyager 2.
Who's ready for a mission to Uranus? 🚀
The Planetary Science #DecadalSurvey is out. The new report outlines the coming decades of planetary exploration, and spoiler alert, it's going to be awesome!
Here's our preliminary analysis of the decadal: https://t.co/y9ZYLcVzlz pic.twitter.com/tVY6woKa6H— Planetary Society (@exploreplanets) April 19, 2022
Mandt specifically urges in her essay that NASA should have a dedicated probe and orbiter for the planet, or UOP (Uranus Orbiter and Probe). The craft would observe the planet, its moons, and its rings and also launch a probe to examine them further.
Astronomers have been stressing the importance of understanding the surrounding planets. They have been examining planets' composition, formation, and ability to foster life.
Futurism notes that conducting a Uranus mission will definitely expand current knowledge regarding the solar system. Hence, according to Mandt, it's time for NASA to think about dedicating a special Uranus mission.
RELATED ARTICLE: Odd Planet Uranus Is Leaking Gas Every 17-Hours While Spinning on an Unusual Axis [Study]
Check out more news and information on Space in Science Times.
