[FPSPACE] Looking For a Free Ride To Venus?

[LARRY KLAES]

http://www.universetoday.com/2008/04/28/looking-for-a-free-ride-to-venus/

Looking For a Free Ride To Venus?

Written by Nancy Atkinson

The folks over at Ars Technica report that the Japanese Space Agency, JAXA, 
announced they are now accepting proposals for a microprobe that can hitch a 
ride with the Venus Climate Orbiter, Japan's upcoming robotic mission to 
Venus. They will provide a free ride to either a low-Earth orbit or on a 
trajectory toward Venus. There are just a few requirements that JAXA has 
specified:

The launch booster for the Venus Climate Orbiter has room for one piggyback 
probe that can weigh up to 40 kilograms. It must fit into a 50×50x50 
centimeter cube. After the microprobe is released, it will be on its own. 
JAXA will not assist with further correcting its trajectory or inserting it 
into an orbit around Venus.

The proposal must be submitted by a researcher based at a Japanese 
institution, and the mission will have to be managed in Japan. However, this 
does not preclude a Japanese team from collaborating with foreign 
researchers on a proposal. Also, all the documents for information and 
proposals are written in Japanese.

But if you’re in the market for a ride to Venus, the deadline for submitting 
your proposal is May 23, 2008. The announcement of JAXA's micro-satellite 
program is posted here, and the specific announcement for piggybacking on 
Venus Climate Orbiter is here. The requirements for the micro-satellite and 
the application forms are found here.

Piggybacked micro-mission to a planet has been done before: NASA's failed 
Mars Polar Lander mission had two accompanying microprobes, each weighing 
only 2.4 kilograms, that would have penetrated the Martian soil to take 
measurements if the mission had gone better. Mars Polar Lander and the two 
penetrator probes—named Deep Space 2—all failed independently of one 
another.

Original News Source: Ars Technica