What will surprise NASA in the coming years?

After (this was announced at a NASA press conference on September 28, 2015), questions arose in scientific circles as to what could be the next big discovery for astrobiologists and space explorers.

NASA space exploration projects:

1. In July 2014, the NASA space agency decided on the instruments for the Mars 2020 rover, which will study Martian rocks and soils. Its main purpose is to understand the past of Mars, the conditions under which life in the form of microbes or other organisms could exist. Mars 2020 is a mission that will confirm the ability to extract atmospheric oxygen from the red planet's carbon dioxide in preparation for colonization. NASA scientists say that even if there are traces of life activity preserved on Mars, it will look like fossilized microorganisms preserved in rock layers.

2. After Mars, we plan to take a closer look at another intriguing world in our solar system. The development and development of a mission to Jupiter’s satellite, Europa, will begin. It is believed that Europa has twice as much water as Earth's oceans, and that there is an exchange of materials between Europa's icy crust and its water oceans. The Hubble Space Telescope has already been able to observe geysers at one of the poles of Europe. One of the most interesting moments in the mission to Europa may be the analysis of water from its geysers. The composition of the satellite's subglacial oceans can tell a lot and become the basis for numerous discoveries.

3. Beyond our solar system, there are countless other worlds that could harbor life. To date, space and ground-based telescopes have discovered almost 5,000 exoplanets. Most of these exoplanets are giant gas planets close to their parent stars because such planets are easier to detect. However, by extrapolating the available data, it can be calculated that the majority of planets in the Universe are small rocky planets that are capable of entering the list of candidate planets with signs of the existence of life on them.

4. In 2017, NASA plans to launch the TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Search Satellite) space telescope, which will search for rocky planets in the “habitable” zones of nearby stars. Using such a powerful instrument in conjunction with the James Webb Space Telescope, it is possible to analyze the types of molecules found in planetary atmospheres, such as water, oxygen, carbon dioxide and methane.

5. Perhaps even more interesting is the possibility that life could exist in the absence of liquid water. That's why scientists are interested in studying some of the most unusual places in our solar system and beyond, such as Saturn's moon Titan, where liquid methane and ethane rain. Could such an environment create a haven for life? This is unknown for now.

In April, NASA announced the creation of an initiative dedicated to the search for life on planets beyond our solar system. The connection between the search for exoplanets and the scientific system is interdisciplinary, this will bring together research groups and provide a synthesized approach in the search for planets with the greatest potential for signs of life. This new network will help scientists communicate and coordinate their research, teaching and educational activities across disciplinary, organizational departments and across geographic boundaries.

(September 2013) Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer: A 160-day unmanned mission that will explore the surface of the Moon in detail from orbit. This will help scientists better analyze the surfaces of other planets.

Juno (late 2016)

InSight (2016)

TESS (2017)

Solar Probe Plus (2018)

James Webb Telescope (2018)

OSIRIS-Rex (2018)

Mars Rover (2020)

Manned flight to an asteroid (2025)

Manned flight to Mars (2030)

Infographics on this topic from Mashable (click for full version):

The payload capacity of the system, which is currently called the Space Launch System, will be 70 metric tons, but the design allows for the possibility of increasing this parameter to 130 metric tons. The launch vehicle will be able to deliver manned missions beyond low-Earth orbit. The first test flight of the launch vehicle is scheduled for the end of 2017.

The new launch vehicle will incorporate technical developments created as part of the shuttle program, as well as design solutions that emerged during the design of space technology under the Constellation program - it provided for the creation of a manned spacecraft and a series of launch vehicles that could take it beyond orbit Earth.

The first stage of the new rocket will be powered by the RS-25D/E hydrogen-oxygen engine, an earlier version of which was used in the shuttle program. The second stage will be powered by the J-2X engine, which also uses oxygen and hydrogen. It was created as part of the Constellation program.
You can watch the animation of the launch of the new launch vehicle on the video:

The SLS system will be the first system of its class created by the Saturn V, the launch vehicle that delivered the Apollo series spacecraft to .

Americans are building a unique plasma engine for flights to Pluto

As part of the first phase of the competition to develop a propulsion system for direct conversion of nuclear energy, a prize of $100 thousand was awarded to Washington University professor John Slough, who developed a project for an electromagnetic plasmoid engine or, as it is called, an electrodeless Lorentz force engine (ELF).

Electromagnetic plasmoid thruster (EPD) is a revolutionary type of electric propulsion system that can dramatically reduce the mass of a spacecraft, as well as increase the efficiency of engines compared to traditional 500-1000 W systems. EPD has a high power density (more than 700 W/kg) and efficiency. It will allow unmanned flights to the very outskirts: Neptune, Pluto and the Oort Cloud. In addition, the new engine can be powered by solar panels, which makes it possible to quickly cover the distance to closer objects, such as satellites or asteroids.

The principle of operation of the EPD is as follows: with the help of a rotating magnetic field inside the conical chamber of the engine, a powerful voltage of currents is created within the plasma flow, which leads to the formation of a plasmoid isolated from the walls of the chamber by a magnetic field. A change in the magnetic field gradient in powerful plasma currents leads to the fact that the plasmoid leaves the conical chamber with enormous speed - accordingly, jet thrust appears. According to NASA specialists, the new type of engine should be a pulsed device that consumes 1 kW and produces a discharge with an energy of 1 J at a frequency of 1 kHz.

NASA developed the theory and design of the new engine and demonstrated its physics in the laboratory. Specialists managed to create a small, only 10 cm in diameter, kilowatt-class engine, which demonstrated reliable operation in pulsed mode with an energy of 0.5 to 5 J. EPDs have many advantages, even compared to highly efficient ion engines. First of all, EPD can use a wide range of working fluids as fuel: oxygen, argon, hydrazine or a mixture of gases. This makes it possible to refuel vehicles in space, and also, theoretically, to use “local” fuel, for example, gases from the atmosphere of Mars. EPD will not only increase the speed and energy capabilities of spacecraft, it can also become the second engine of aircraft. They could enter low-Earth orbit using ramjet engines, and in space they could move using light and compact EPDs.

It should be noted that John Slough, as part of the Helion Energy project to commercialize the energy of thermonuclear fusion, developed an inductive plasma accelerator, which allows accelerating plasmoids to a speed of 600 km/s, which is much greater than the speed of their internal thermal motion.

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