One of the submissions competing for funding under the Discovery program is the orbiter mission to the moon of Jupiter Callisto. Its called MAGIC and it stands for Magnetics, Altimetry, Gravity and Imaging of Callisto.
I was very happy to learn that this mission was proposed, because for far too long Jovian system was neglected and if we could get 3 satellites there at the same time - Europa Clipper, european JUICE mission and on top of that a little bit of MAGIC, we could cover a lot of grounds and answer a lot of pending questions about Galilean moons. But one thing that strikes me odd is almost complete lack of coverage or the additional information about this proposal. It was announced and then - silence. Meanwhile other submissions get coverage by newspapers and media. Now i don't know how the selection process for the Discovery program works, but it may be that people choosing the winner could be influenced by the media buzz and could choose the mission that generates most excitement in the public, because that public got to know that this mission even exists exactly because of the media coverage. So this lack of information about MAGIC is kinda strange.
I understand that in the minds of regular people Callisto is often percieved as "that boring moon", eclipsed by her more diverse and colorfull sisters. But people behind the MAGIC proposal should be able to break that stereotype, find the right words, fascinating questions, exciting examples of features on the surface of Callisto that capture the imagination of readers. They could approach the media and in detail describe their proposal, explaining why exactly is should be chosen and funded.
Focus on the I - Imaging part of MAGIC. People love to SEE the results.
Tell us about your camera and the global resolution that it can provide, tell us about the narrow field camera and how you can possibly see even seasonal changes, the landslides caused by the crumbling rims of the degrading craters. Tell us about the growth and fall of knobs caused by the sublimation processes, include the comparison picture between the Callistonian knob and some skyscraper on Earth. Explain to people that Callisto is not "just like our Moon, but with more craters". It is much more intresting and intriguing.
Tell us about the giant impact structures and waves they sent out through the surface of Callisto. Hypothesize about the size of the impactors and what would happen if they were to hit Earth. Tell us of the knowledge we can get about the history of Solar system dating if we could learn the age of those impact structures. Tell us about the bright spots on Callisto which could be very similar to those on Ceres. Tell us about the dark spots too.
Elaborate on the whole MAGIC theme. Since the surface features on Callisto are named after places and characters from myths and folktales of cultures of the Far North, you can draw from this rich cultural background for inspiration. Mention the names Asgard, Valhalla, Utgard - people love Nordic myths. By invoking this cold religious spirit, you can make the mission sound not just scientific, but more like a pilgrimage to the great ancient places of our Solar system.
In recent days there is a growing intrest in ocean worlds - by mere mentioning that Callisto could have oceans under the surface, you can generate intrest and excitement. Callisto orbits outside of the Jovian radiation belts, so it may be more safe for life and potential future astronauts. There were studies about piloted missions to Callisto in the past, there will be intrest of that sort in the future. MAGIC could survey the landing sites for potential future landers, rovers, sample return mission and eventually - humans.
All of this could be mentioned to generate more intrest in the mission. Nowadays there are a lot of podcasts, sites, youtube channels that specialize on Space related activities. I'm sure they would love to cover this topic and shed some light on another potential Discovery mission. All it takes is just the desire from people behind MAGIC to contact the media and talk about their proposal. I really don't want them to lose this opportunity and i don't want to see the mission to Callisto be proposed again and again for decades with no success.
I was very happy to learn that this mission was proposed, because for far too long Jovian system was neglected and if we could get 3 satellites there at the same time - Europa Clipper, european JUICE mission and on top of that a little bit of MAGIC, we could cover a lot of grounds and answer a lot of pending questions about Galilean moons. But one thing that strikes me odd is almost complete lack of coverage or the additional information about this proposal. It was announced and then - silence. Meanwhile other submissions get coverage by newspapers and media. Now i don't know how the selection process for the Discovery program works, but it may be that people choosing the winner could be influenced by the media buzz and could choose the mission that generates most excitement in the public, because that public got to know that this mission even exists exactly because of the media coverage. So this lack of information about MAGIC is kinda strange.
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| Image by James Tuttle Keane |
Focus on the I - Imaging part of MAGIC. People love to SEE the results.
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| At the global scale Callisto might seem boring but when you zoom on it, she reveals her beauty and the diversity of landscapes. Photo courtesy NASA/JPL |
Tell us about your camera and the global resolution that it can provide, tell us about the narrow field camera and how you can possibly see even seasonal changes, the landslides caused by the crumbling rims of the degrading craters. Tell us about the growth and fall of knobs caused by the sublimation processes, include the comparison picture between the Callistonian knob and some skyscraper on Earth. Explain to people that Callisto is not "just like our Moon, but with more craters". It is much more intresting and intriguing.
Elaborate on the whole MAGIC theme. Since the surface features on Callisto are named after places and characters from myths and folktales of cultures of the Far North, you can draw from this rich cultural background for inspiration. Mention the names Asgard, Valhalla, Utgard - people love Nordic myths. By invoking this cold religious spirit, you can make the mission sound not just scientific, but more like a pilgrimage to the great ancient places of our Solar system.
In recent days there is a growing intrest in ocean worlds - by mere mentioning that Callisto could have oceans under the surface, you can generate intrest and excitement. Callisto orbits outside of the Jovian radiation belts, so it may be more safe for life and potential future astronauts. There were studies about piloted missions to Callisto in the past, there will be intrest of that sort in the future. MAGIC could survey the landing sites for potential future landers, rovers, sample return mission and eventually - humans.
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| Image of the potential Human Outer Planet Exploration ( |
All of this could be mentioned to generate more intrest in the mission. Nowadays there are a lot of podcasts, sites, youtube channels that specialize on Space related activities. I'm sure they would love to cover this topic and shed some light on another potential Discovery mission. All it takes is just the desire from people behind MAGIC to contact the media and talk about their proposal. I really don't want them to lose this opportunity and i don't want to see the mission to Callisto be proposed again and again for decades with no success.
Only the worthy shall fly to Asgard and see the bright halls of Valhalla.
