Tuesday, August 28, 2012

[juzgiyvz] Hitching a ride on Sedna

Sedna has a 11,400 year orbital period which reaches perihelion in 2076.  Consider constructing a space probe to land on it or (very stably) orbit it for a full solar orbit, ostensibly to study then report back on conditions in the outer solar system.

Can we construct a machine that will remain functional for 11,000 years?  It's kind of like a time capsule. Unlike the clock of the Long Now, Sedna will probably see very little disturbances like weather.

Is landing on a large solid body easier or better than simply putting a probe onto a solitary 11,000 year orbit?  Perhaps less likely to be gravitationally perturbed and lost.

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