[Hunble]

If the mission succeeds—the probe should arrive by January 2005

The Apollo astronauts were able to travel from the Earth to the Moon in 3 days. This mission will take almost a year? I know that ion engines are low thrust, but operate continuously, for a higher eventual velocity. The such a long time to travel to the Moon?

[Blood of Tyrants]

I think that it will take so long because after it achieves orbit, the ion engines will start and very gently accelerate the craft into higher and higher orbits until the orbit includes the moon, at which point the craft is oriented into an orbit around the moon, probably by conventional chemical rockets.

[Cincinatus]

Transit time is 15 months. That's ion power, for ya!

The real question is how will spacecraft health fare after looping through the Van Allen belts endlessly. Those instruments better be radiation hardened!