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Space Exploration

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  • $\begingroup$ I love this image! Is the ASRG related to the tall tower (keeping heat away from the lake) or is that an antenna? $\endgroup$
    – uhoh
    Commented Sep 23, 2018 at 23:52
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    $\begingroup$ @uhoh I was the Mission Architect for the 2007-2008 TSSM mission concept study. The "Lake Lander", as we called it, was not powered by an ASRG, but by primary batteries instead. You can see this in the study report given to the Planetary Science Decadal Survey Team (I was a member of the Satellites Panel), at ia800502.us.archive.org/6/items/TitanSaturnSystemMission/… . I can't find the original study report from 2008 but I have some of my original work on that, and you can see evolution in the Lake Lander between 2008 & 2010... $\endgroup$
    – Tom Spilker
    Commented Sep 24, 2018 at 18:08
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    $\begingroup$ @uhoh The image in the answer is the 2008 version. The "tower" is a mast that puts some of the science instruments farther from the sea surface for better operation: an anemometer (two of them, one halfway up and one at the top, to allow wind shear measurements), a camera, etc. The antenna is an omni so it is a small thing down on the platform. $\endgroup$
    – Tom Spilker
    Commented Sep 24, 2018 at 18:13
  • $\begingroup$ @TomSpilker the archived report is really fascinating, what a great window on how missions take shape; I've never heard of a "Science Traceability Matrix" before, but I like how it works to systematize functions and purposes. It's a bit of a fun puzzle without an accompanying document, can you tell me what Montgolfière is? $\endgroup$
    – uhoh
    Commented Sep 25, 2018 at 1:07
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    $\begingroup$ @uhoh We had a lot of fun with that—the Montgolfier (pronounced mont-Gol-fee-AY) brothers invented a hot-air balloon type that they named Montgolfière (pronounced mont-Gol-fee-AYR). We were going to power the Montgolfière with waste heat from an MMRTG. The Science Traceability Matrix (STM) is a way of keeping the system lean. When someone, say a telecom engineer, tells you the telecom system has to be designed a certain way, you can ask, "Show me in the STM where that requirement comes from." Or if their design isn't up to snuff, the STM will tell how much better it must be. $\endgroup$
    – Tom Spilker
    Commented Sep 25, 2018 at 1:59