Near-Earth Asteroid Scout

NEA Scout concept: a controllable CubeSat solar sail spacecraft

The Near-Earth Asteroid Scout (NEA Scout) is a planned mission by NASA to develop a controllable low-cost CubeSat solar sail spacecraft capable of encountering near-Earth asteroids (NEA).[1][2][3] The NEA Scout will be one of 13 CubeSats to be carried with the Orion EM-1 mission into a heliocentric orbit in cis-lunar space on the maiden flight of the Space Launch System (SLS) scheduled to launch in 2019.[4][3] The most likely target for the mission is 1991 VG, but this may change based on launch date or other factors.[5]

NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) and Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) are jointly developing this mission with support from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Langley Research Center, and NASA Headquarters.[1]

Goal

The goal is to develop a capability that would close knowledge gaps at a near-Earth asteroid (NEA), in the 1-100 m range, identified for human exploration.[3][6] NEAs in the 1-100 m range are poorly characterized due to the challenges that come with detecting, observing, and tracking these for extended periods of time. It has been thought that objects in the 1-100 m size range are fragments of bigger objects. However, it has also been suggested that these objects could actually be rubble-piles.[3]

The mission researchers argue that "characterization of NEAs that are larger than 20 m in diameter is also of great relevance to inform mitigation strategies for planetary defense." Also, the NEA Scout target characterization would help inform the Asteroid Redirect Mission.[3]

Target

The planned target, subject to change, is Near-Earth object 1991 VG.[5] 1991 VG was discovered shortly before passing just 0.003 AU from earth on 6 November 1991, and is expected to return within 0.06 AU of Earth in August of 2017.[7][8] It raised interest due to the close approach, and the expectation that such an Earth-similar orbit would not have long term stability.

Proposed payload

Observations will be achieved using a CubeSat performing a close (~10km) flyby, equipped with a high resolution science-grade monochromatic camera to measure the physical properties of a near-Earth object targeted for human exploration, thus, reducing the risks of a crewed mission. Information will be obtained on position/orbit, global physical properties, rotation rate, mass/density, mapping of particles and debris field in target vicinity, albedo and asteroid spectral type, surface morphologies and properties, regolith properties, regional and local morphology.[3]

Design concept

The spacecraft architecture, presented in 2014, is based on a 6-unit CubeSat with a stowed envelope slightly larger than 10×20×30 cm, and a mass of less than 12 kg,[4] a cold gas propulsion system, and primarily based on the use of commercial off-the-shelf parts.[3] Four 7-meter booms would deploy, unfurling the 83 m2 aluminized polyimide solar sail. Mission duration is about 2.5 years.[3]

See also

Asteroid missions
Solar sail spacecraft

References

  1. 1 2 "NASA TechPort -- Near-Earth Asteroid Scout Project". NASA TechPort. National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Retrieved 19 November 2015.
  2. ↑ Zolfagharifard, Ellie (3 April 2015). "An asteroid hunter, lunar flashlight and DNA kit: Nasa reveals experiments its mega rocket will carry on its first test flight". Daily Mail. London. Retrieved 2015-05-24.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 McNutt, Leslie; Castillo-Rogez, Julie (2014). "Near-Earth Asteroid Scout" (PDF). NASA. American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. Retrieved 2015-05-13.
  4. 1 2 Krebs, Gunter Dirk (13 April 2015). "NEA-Scout". Retrieved 2015-05-13.
  5. 1 2 Mahoney, Erin (30 October 2015). "NEA Scout". NASA. Retrieved 21 May 2017.
  6. ↑ Castillo-Rogez, Julie; Abell, Paul. "Near Earth Asteroid Scout Mission" (PDF). NASA. Lunar and Planetary Institute. Retrieved 2015-05-13.
  7. ↑ Steel, Duncan (April 1995). "SETA and 1991 VG". The Observatory. 115: 78–83. Bibcode:1995Obs...115...78S. Retrieved 2016-08-28 – via Harvard.
  8. ↑ "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: (1991 VG)" (last observation: 1992-04-27; arc: 173 days). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 21 May 2017.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.