All of the thrusting is in the inner solar system, then it coasts. |
I am confident that we can get the materials, but packaging and deployment will be the biggest nut to crack. |
I guess the argument could be made that it's a discretionary decision made by five elected officials. |
It looks like it has the right thermal properties, so it can go near the sun and not overheat. |
It's a matter of putting it all together and it all looks pretty doable. There is a benefit to human exploration for aerocapture, from an incremental technology point of view. |
It's definitely high-risk [now]. It's maybe 10 to 15 years out. |
Now if you launch with conventional propulsion, most of the scientists would be retired or dead |
This will be humankind's first planned venture outside the solar system. |
We've been fairly conservative when it comes to height. I don't see that being something that's going to change anytime soon. |
With aerocapture, it's done all at once, ... You have a heat shield...you do the maneuver, and in 30 minutes you're in a circular orbit. |