NASA Names JPL Finalist for First Mission to Pluto

NASA has selected two teams--one from JPL and one from the rival Applied Physics Laboratory in Baltimore--that will compete to develop the first mission to explore Pluto. Whether the mission will actually launch remains an open question; NASA has not yet obtained funding for the $500-million project.

The Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena had been due to launch a probe in 2004 to investigate the solar system’s outermost body, its moon Charon and the distant Kuiper Belt. In September, citing ballooning costs, NASA pulled the plug.

Much to NASA’s surprise, the move caused an uprising. Members of Congress received sheaves of letters, many from disappointed schoolchildren, demanding that the mission be restored. Grass-roots Web sites promoting exploration of Pluto sprang up. And scientists complained that Pluto would not be amenable to study again for 200 years.

Under orders from Congress, NASA agreed this spring to keep planning for a potential mission. The agency asked five teams to prepare proposals to journey to Pluto and Charon--and keep the cost under $500 million.

The two teams selected are:

* A JPL-led team that is a joint effort with Malin Space Sciences of San Diego, Lockheed Martin Astronautics of Denver and UC Berkeley.

* An APL-led team that is a joint effort with Ball Aerospace Corp. in Boulder, Colo.; Stanford University; NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.; and JPL acting as a subcontractor for certain parts of the mission.

Each team will receive $450,000 and have three months to develop the proposal. NASA is expected to choose one this fall and move forward if funding is obtained.

NASA has also approved a $256-million mission to Mercury. The Messenger orbiter is expected to be launched in 2004 and orbit the tiny planet for one year, starting in 2009.