Asteroid Retrieval Feasibility Study
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An Ongoing Effort to Identify Near-Earth Asteroid Destination
The Near-Earth Object Human Space Flight Accessible Targets Study: An Ongoing Effort to Identify Near-Earth Asteroid Destinations for Human Explorers Presented to the 2013 IAA Planetary Defense Conference Brent W. Barbee∗, Paul A. Abelly, Daniel R. Adamoz, Cassandra M. Alberding∗, Daniel D. Mazanekx, Lindley N. Johnsonk, Donald K. Yeomans#, Paul W. Chodas#, Alan B. Chamberlin#, Victoria P. Friedensenk NASA/GSFC∗ / NASA/JSCy / Aerospace Consultantz NASA/LaRCx / NASA/HQk / NASA/JPL# April 16th, 2013 Introduction I Near-Earth Objects (NEOs) are asteroids and comets with perihelion distance < 1.3 AU I Small, usually rocky bodies (occasionally metallic) I Sizes range from a few meters to ≈ 35 kilometers I Near-Earth Asteroids (NEAs) are currently candidate destinations for human space flight missions in the mid-2020s th I As of April 4 , 2013, a total of 9736 NEAs have been discovered, and more are being discovered on a continual basis 2 Motivations for NEA Exploration I Solar system science I NEAs are largely unchanged in composition since the early days of the solar system I Asteroids and comets may have delivered water and even the seeds of life to the young Earth I Planetary defense I NEA characterization I NEA proximity operations I In-Situ Resource Utilization I Could manufacture radiation shielding, propellant, and more I Human Exploration I The most ambitious journey of human discovery since Apollo I NEAs as stepping stones to Mars 3 NHATS Background I NASA's Near-Earth Object Human Space Flight Accessible Targets Study (NHATS) (pron.: /næts/) began in September of 2010 under the auspices of the NASA Headquarters Planetary Science Mission Directorate in cooperation with the Advanced Exploration Systems Division of the Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate. -
Lightsail 2 Set to Launch in June “We Are Go for Launch!” Said Planetary Society CEO Bill Nye
Lightsail 2 set to launch in June “We are go for launch!” said Planetary Society CEO Bill Nye. Funded by space enthusiasts, LightSail 2 aims to accomplish the 1st-ever, controlled solar sail flight in Earth orbit next month. Writing at the Planetary Society’s blog, Jason Davis this week (May 13, 2019) described the upcoming challenge of the launch of LightSail 2, a little spacecraft literally powered by sunbeams and dear to the hearts of many. He wrote: Weighing just 5 kilograms, the loaf-of-bread-sized spacecraft, known as a CubeSat, is scheduled to lift A one-unit CubeSat measures 10 centimeters per side. off on June 22, 2019, aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy LightSail is a three-unit CubeSat measuring 10 by 10 by 30 rocket from Kennedy Space Center, Florida. Once in centimetres. Here, an early LightSail model sits next to a space, LightSail 2 will deploy a boxing ring-sized solar loaf of bread for size comparison. sail and attempt to raise its orbit using the gentle push from solar photons. It’s the culmination of a 10-year project with an origin story linked to the three scientist-engineers who founded The Planetary Society in 1980. Indeed, although the Lightsail 2 project itself is 10 years old, the idea for lightsail or solar sail spacecraft goes back decades, at least. Carl Sagan – who was one of those Planetary Society founders -- popularized the idea for our time. Now the mantle for popularizing lightsails, and helping to bring the dream many steps closer to reality, has been passed to Bill Nye, the current CEO of the Planetary Society. -
1 ABSTRACT Aside from the Exploration of Mars, the Objects That
IAC-07-B3.5.06 INTO THE BEYOND: A CREWED MISSION TO A NEAR-EARTH OBJECT David J. Korsmeyer, NASA Ames Research Center, Intelligent Systems Division, Moffett Field, CA, USA, [email protected] Rob R. Landis, NASA Johnson Space Center, Mission Operations Directorate, Houston, TX, USA [email protected] Paul A. Abell, NASA Johnson Space Center, Astromaterials Research & Exploration Science, Houston, TX, USA [email protected] ABSTRACT utility and opportunities for the developing Aside from the exploration of Mars, the Constellation infrastructure, particularly, the objects that most capture our interest for a Ares Launch vehicles and the Orion crewed new human visit are the Near-Earth Objects spacecraft, to be used for missions that were (NEOs). These objects are ideal candidates not directly in the design specifications (aka for deep space operations and explorations as non-lunar missions). The Ares and Orion we extend the human presence out into the systems are designed to launch 4-6 crew to solar system. The notion of a crewed mission the International Space Station (ISS), and to to a NEO was first discussed in the Apollo eventually take 4 crew back to lunar orbit era. The most recent assessment has been where a lunar lander would take the crew to undertaken by the Advanced Projects Office the surface. within NASA’s Constellation Program. This particular study examined the feasibility of The NASA Constellation Program wanted to sending NASA’s new Orion spacecraft (also understand what are some other feasible, referred to as the Crew Exploration Vehicle, high-value uses of the Orion spacecraft and or CEV) to a NEO. -
Asteroid Retrieval Mission Concept – Trailblazing Our Future in Space and Helping to Protect Us from Earth Impactors
Asteroid Retrieval Mission Concept – Trailblazing Our Future in Space and Helping to Protect Us from Earth Impactors Presented by Dan Mazanek1 Co-authors: John Brophy2 and Gabe Merrill1 1NASA Langley Research Center; 2Jet Propulsion Laboratory April 16, 2013 2013 Planetary Defense Conference Flagstaff, USA Paper No: IAA-PDC13-04-14 1 Background The idea of utilizing asteroidal resources is not new • 1903 – Konstantin Tsiolkovskii included the concept of using asteroids for resources in his most famous publication, The Exploration of Cosmic Space by Means of Reaction Motors • 1977 – NASA’s Dr. Brian O’Leary proposed using mass drivers to move Earth- approaching Apollo and Amor asteroids to Earth’s vicinity • 1997 – Dr. John S. Lewis detailed how we can extract the vast resources available from our solar system in the influential book Mining the Sky: Untold Riches from the Asteroids, Comets, and Planets September 2011 and February 2012 – Asteroid Retrieval Mission (ARM) Study at Caltech’s Keck Institute for Space Studies (KISS) • Examined the feasibility of returning a small (~7 m diameter) near-Earth asteroid (NEA), or part of a large NEA, to cislunar space • Utilize robotic 50 kW-class solar electric propulsion (SEP) vehicle and currently available technologies (40 kW available to the electric propulsion system) • John Brophy (Co-Leader along with Louis Friedman and Fred Culick) and Dan Mazanek were KISS ARM study members 2 Recent Events Recent events have elevated the public’s awareness of the potential of space resources and have -
1 Statement of Kathryn C. Thornton Professor and Associate Dean School of Engineering and Applied Science University of Virginia
Statement of Kathryn C. Thornton Professor and Associate Dean School of Engineering and Applied Science University of Virginia before the Committee on Science and Technology Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics U.S. House of Representatives April 3, 2008 Chairman Udall, Ranking Member Feeney, and members of the subcommittee, thank you for inviting me to appear before you today. My name is Kathryn Thornton and I am a Professor and Associate Dean in the School of Engineering and Applied Science at the University of Virginia. I appear here this morning not in my faculty role but as an organizer and co-chair of an independent workshop entitled Examining the Vision: Balancing Exploration and Science held last February at Stanford University. The workshop was co-hosted by Stanford University Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, and The Planetary Society. Other organizers were co-chair Professor G. Scott Hubbard from Stanford University, Dr. Louis Friedman of The Planetary Society, and Dr. Wesley T. Huntress, Jr., of the Carnegie Institution of Washington. The post- workshop joint communiqué and a partial list of participants are attached. The intent of the workshop was to critically examine the current implementation of the Vision for Space Exploration as announced by President Bush in January 2004, especially to help prepare for a new Administration’s consideration of its broad space program goals and plans. The Vision for Space Exploration in its original plan was a major redirection of the human space flight program with an accompanying emphasis on scientific exploration. Whatever changes might be made in its implementation in the next Administration, we wanted to identify, highlight and support the best parts of the current concept. -
Why Atens Enjoy Enhanced Accessibility for Human Space Flight
(Preprint) AAS 11-449 WHY ATENS ENJOY ENHANCED ACCESSIBILITY FOR HUMAN SPACE FLIGHT Daniel R. Adamo* and Brent W. Barbee† Near-Earth objects can be grouped into multiple orbit classifications, among them being the Aten group, whose members have orbits crossing Earth's with semi-major axes less than 1 astronomical unit. Atens comprise well under 10% of known near-Earth objects. This is in dramatic contrast to results from recent human space flight near-Earth object accessibility studies, where the most favorable known destinations are typically almost 50% Atens. Geocentric dynamics explain this enhanced Aten accessibility and lead to an understanding of where the most accessible near-Earth objects reside. Without a com- prehensive space-based survey, however, highly accessible Atens will remain largely un- known. INTRODUCTION In the context of human space flight (HSF), the concept of near-Earth object (NEO) accessibility is highly subjective (Reference 1). Whether or not a particular NEO is accessible critically depends on mass, performance, and reliability of interplanetary HSF systems yet to be designed. Such systems would cer- tainly include propulsion and crew life support with adequate shielding from both solar flares and galactic cosmic radiation. Equally critical architecture options are relevant to NEO accessibility. These options are also far from being determined and include the number of launches supporting an HSF mission, together with whether consumables are to be pre-emplaced at the destination. Until the unknowns of HSF to NEOs come into clearer focus, the notion of relative accessibility is of great utility. Imagine a group of NEOs, each with nearly equal HSF merit determined from their individual characteristics relating to crew safety, scientific return, resource utilization, and planetary defense. -
Planetary Report
The PLANETARY REPORT Volume XXX Number 3 May/June 2010 Why Go Into Space? From The Editor On the Cover: This dazzling, visible-light portrait of the Orion nebula was his 30th anniversary year has had me looking taken by the European Southern Observatory’s new Visible Tback to the beginning of The Planetary Soci- and Infrared Survey Telescope for Astronomy (VISTA). Most of ety, while our LightSail program keeps pulling the light from the spectacular clouds comes from hydrogen gas glowing under the fierce ultraviolet glare of the hot young my thoughts to the future. In 1980, The Planetary Society launched while stars at center. The region above Orion’s center is obscured Carl Sagan was presenting his personal view of by clouds of dust. Image: ESO/J. Emerson/VISTA & R. Gendler, the universe on television screens around the with thanks to the Cambridge Astronomical Survey Unit world. There’s no question that our organization’s success is linked directly to the phenomenon that Background: was Cosmos. To honor that connection, in 2005, It’s easy to forget—as we deal with the day-to-day challenges we created the Cosmos Award for Outstanding of life—that we live on a planet whose normal geologic Public Presentation of Science. The first recipi- activity can trump our most important plans. Here, lava ent was filmmaker James Cameron (who’s had spews out of a mountain on March 21, 2010, in the region a rather big success of his own lately). This February, we presented The Planetary of Iceland’s Eyjafjallajökull volcano. -
ANIME: the “ASTEROID NODAL INTERSECTION MULTIPLE ENCOUNTERS” CUBESAT MISSION to EXPLORE NEAR-EARTH ASTEROID DIVERSITY. D. Perna1, M
52nd Lunar and Planetary Science Conference 2021 (LPI Contrib. No. 2548) 1106.pdf ANIME: THE “ASTEROID NODAL INTERSECTION MULTIPLE ENCOUNTERS” CUBESAT MISSION TO EXPLORE NEAR-EARTH ASTEROID DIVERSITY. D. Perna1, M. Pajola2, L. Casalino3, S. Ivanovski4, M. Lavagna5, M. Zannoni6, M. Bechini5, A. Capannolo5, A. Colagrossi5, G. Cremonese2, E. Dotto1, A. Lucchetti2, E. Mazzotta Epifani1, J. Prinetto5, E. Simioni2, P. Tortora6 and G. Zanotti5 1INAF – Osservatorio Astronomico di Roma (Italy), [email protected], 2INAF – Osservatorio Astronomico di Padova (Italy), 3DIMEAS – Politecnico di Torino (Italy), 4INAF – Osservatorio Astronomico di Trieste (Italy), 5DAER – Politecnico di Milano (Italy), 6CIRI Aerospace – Università di Bologna (Italy). ANIME in a nutshell: The “Asteroid Nodal positions and velocities. Asteroids 2000 SG344, 2006 Intersection Multiple Encounters” (ANIME) mission HZ51 and 2004 QD14 are selected as ANIME targets concept has been proposed in response to the 2020 due to their pivotal scientific and strategic relevance, Italian Space Agency (ASI) call for ideas for future over a rather large number of suitable alternatives. The CubeSat missions. ANIME aims to explore three near- reference solution (Figure 1) has a total ΔV of 1.05 Earth asteroids (NEAs), selected by virtue of their km/s and a propellant consumption of 1.04 kg (out of peculiar and yet unexplored size and physical regimes, the available 1.5 kg). The ample propellant margin as well as their relevance in terms of planetary guarantees flexibility in terms of: i) departure date protection. Thanks to an optimized trajectory, the changes, ii) strategies for escape from Earth sphere of targets are encountered during their passages through influence (depending on the launch opportunities and their orbital nodes. -
Lightsail Program Status: One Down, One to Go
SSC15-V-3 LightSail Program Status: One Down, One to Go Rex Ridenoure, Riki Munakata, Alex Diaz, Stephanie Wong Ecliptic Enterprises Corporation Pasadena, CA; (626) 278-0435 [email protected] Barbara Plante Boreal Space Hayward, CA; (510) 915-4717 [email protected] Doug Stetson Space Science and Exploration Consulting Group Pasadena, CA, (818) 854-8921 [email protected] Dave Spencer Georgia Institute of Technology Atlanta, GA, (770) 331-2340 [email protected] Justin Foley California Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo San Luis Obispo, CA, (805) 756-5074 [email protected] ABSTRACT The LightSail program involves two 3U CubeSats designed to advance solar sailing technology state of the art. The entire program is privately funded by members and supporters of The Planetary Society, the world’s largest non- profit space advocacy organization. Spacecraft design started in 2009; by the end of 2011 both spacecraft had largely been built but not fully tested, and neither had a firm launch commitment. Following an 18-month program pause during 2012-2013, the effort was resumed after launch opportunities had been secured for each spacecraft. The first LightSail spacecraft—dedicated primarily to demonstrating the solar sail deployment process—was launched into Earth orbit on 2015 May 20 as a secondary payload aboard an Atlas 5 rocket, and on June 9 mission success was declared. The mission plan for the second LightSail includes demonstration of solar sailing in Earth orbit, among other objectives. It is on track for a launch in 2016 aboard a Falcon Heavy rocket as a key element of the Prox-1 mission. -
Bill Nye: Science Guy a Film by David Alvarado and Jason Sussberg
POV Community Engagement & Education DISCUSSION GUIDE Bill Nye: Science Guy A Film by David Alvarado and Jason Sussberg www.pbs.org/pov LETTER FROM THE FILMMAKERS We’re documentary filmmakers, but we’re also Bill Nye fans who spent our middle school years learn- ing about the ecosystem and the color spectrum from his trusty VHS tapes. Bill’s passion and en- thusiasm stayed with us, and when we got older, we started making films about science and tech- nology. When we learned that Bill Nye was doing something new—working outside of the classroom to champion science and space exploration and helping lead the fight against climate change, we knew we had to make this documentary. As filmmakers, we tell stories about interesting people in the worlds of science, health, informa- tion and technology. Our last film THE IMMOR- TALISTS was about the personal lives of two anti-aging scientists. We focused the story more on their humanity, love and death, and less on the technological “how to” of living forever. We take a similar approach in BILL NYE: SCIENCE GUY— Directors David Alvarado and Jason Sussberg. documenting Bill’s journey from popular kid show Photo courtesy of Erika Kapin host to serious science statesman, coupled with in- timate access to his personal life. We see the human-side of a much larger social friction between science and anti-science. Bill is a dream subject for a documentary. He is someone everybody knows of, but no one really knows— where did he come from, what were the experiences that formed his worldview, why is he so mission-driven? Bill was absolutely open to every filming possibility we presented—an amazing leap of faith that allowed us to really get to know the man behind the bow tie. -
Opportunities for Asteroid Retrieval Missions
Opportunities for Asteroid Retrieval Missions Pre-print proof-reading copy. The final publication is available at: http://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-642-39244-3_21 D. García Yárnoz, J.P. Sanchez, C.R. McInnes Advanced Space Concepts Laboratory, University of Strathclyde, UK. Abstract Asteroids and comets are of strategic importance for science in an effort to uncover the formation, evolution and composition of the Solar System. Near-Earth Objects (NEOs) are of particular interest because of their ac- cessibility from Earth, but also because of their speculated wealth of mate- rial resources. The exploitation of these resources has long been discussed as a means to lower the cost of future space endeavours. In this chapter, we analyze the possibility of retrieving entire objects from accessible helio- centric orbits and moving them into the Earth’s neighbourhood. The aster- oid retrieval transfers are sought from the continuum of low energy trans- fers enabled by the dynamics of invariant manifolds; specifically, the retrieval transfers target planar, vertical Lyapunov and halo orbit families associated with the collinear equilibrium points of the Sun-Earth Circular Restricted Three Body problem. The judicious use of these dynamical fea- tures provides the best opportunity to find extremely low energy transfers for asteroidal material. With the objective to minimise transfer costs, a global search of impulsive transfers connecting the unperturbed asteroid’s orbit with the stable manifold phase of the transfer is performed. A cata- logue of asteroid retrieval opportunities of currently known NEOs is pre- sented here. Despite the highly incomplete census of very small asteroids, the catalogue can already be populated with 12 different objects retrievable with less than 500 m/s of Δv. -
Testing the Lightsail Program: Advancing Solar Sailing Technology Using a Cubesat Platform Rex W
Spencer, D. et al. (2016): JoSS, Vol. 5, No. 2, pp. 531–550 (Peer-reviewed article available at www.jossonline.com) www.DeepakPublishing.com www. JoSSonline.com Testing The LightSail Program: Advancing Solar Sailing Technology Using a CubeSat Platform Rex W. Ridenoure, Riki Munakata, Stephanie D. Wong, and Alex Diaz Ecliptic Enterprises Corporation, Pasadena, CA USA Dr. David A. Spencer Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA USA Douglas A. Stetson Space Science and Exploration Consulting Group, Pasadena, CA USA Dr. Bruce Betts The Planetary Society, Pasadena, CA USA Barbara A. Plante Boreal Space, Hayward, CA USA Justin D. Foley and Dr. John M. Bellardo California Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo, CA USA Abstract The LightSail program encompasses the development, launch, and operation of two privately funded 3U CubeSats designed to advance solar sailing technology state of the art. The first LightSail spacecraft— dedicated primarily to demonstrating the solar sail deployment process—successfully completed its mission in low Earth orbit during spring 2015. The principal objective of the second LightSail mission, scheduled for launch in 2017, is to demonstrate sail control in Earth orbit and to increase apogee. Managed by The Planetary Society and funded by members and private donors worldwide, LightSail represents the most ambitious private- ly funded solar sailing program ever launched. By demonstrating the capability to deploy and control a solar sail from a 3U CubeSat platform, the LightSail program advances solar sailing as a viable technology for in- space propulsion of small satellites. This article provides an overview of the LightSail program, describes the spacecraft design, and discusses results from the initial test flight of LightSail 1.