Europa or bust? Maybe not. Top 9 priorities for planetary research missions

9. Discovery-class missions

These low-cost missions occur on too short a time-table to set priorities, and they can be sparked by results from other longer-term missions. Because Discovery-class and the larger New Frontiers-class missions launch more frequently than the big-ticket projects that top the list of priorities, the NRC panel recommends that if future budgets get too tight, the flagship missions should become the first casualties.

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