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Mission Design Challenge

Observe Saturn's Rings

Saved locally on this device
Learning goals
  • Match instruments to the science goals of the challenge.
  • Balance mass, power, cost, risk, and communication throughput.
  • Explain your design tradeoffs in your own words.
Help & glossary
  • Meters update in real time so you can see the impact of each choice.
  • Errors are red; warnings are amber. You can still launch with warnings.
  • Your written explanation stays on this device.

This is an educational mission-design simulation. Scores and simplified engineering values do not represent an approved or operational NASA mission.

1. Briefing2. Platform3. Power4. Comms5. Instruments6. Timeline7. Explanation8. Results

Mission briefing

Design a spacecraft to orbit Saturn and study its famous rings. You will need instruments that can see fine detail and figure out what the rings are made of.

Destination
Saturn ring system
Mission type
Orbiter
Environment
distant-sun

Science goals

  • Take close-up pictures of ring structure.
  • Study what the ring particles are made of.

Sources