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A Simplified, Low Risk Strategy for the Exploration of Near- Earth Objects

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A Simplified, Low Risk Strategy for the Exploration of Near- Earth Objects 62nd International Astronautical Congress, Cape Town, SA. Copyright ©2010 by the International Astronautical Federation. All rights reserved. IAC-11-A5.4.7 A SIMPLIFIED, LOW RISK STRATEGY FOR THE EXPLORATION OF NEAR- EARTH OBJECTS Rob Landis*, Brent Barbee, Ron Mink, Jim Garvin, Piers Sellers NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland USA [email protected] Paul Abell, Susan Mauzy, Lee Graham NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas USA Dan Adamo Trajectory Consultant, Houston, Texas USA Dan Mazanek NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia USA Cheryl Reed, Andy Cheng, Andy Rivkin, Rob Gold, Ken Hibbard The Johns Hopkins University-Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, Maryland USA Richard Dissly Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., Boulder, Colorado USA Tom Jones Florida Institute for Human & Machine Cognition, Pensacola, Florida USA Lindley Johnson, William Gerstenmaier NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC USA * NASA GSFC/Wallops Flight Facility, Wallops Island, Virginia USA ABSTRACT: The impetus for asteroid exploration is scientific, political, and pragmatic. The notion of sending human explorers to asteroids is not new. Piloted missions to these primitive bodies were first discussed in the 1960s, pairing Saturn V rockets with enhanced Apollo spacecraft to explore what were then called “Earth-approaching asteroids.” Two decades ago, NASA’s Space Exploration Initiative (SEI) also briefly examined the possibility of visiting these small celestial bodies. Most recently, the U.S. Human Space Flight Review Committee (the second Augustine Commission) suggested that near-Earth objects (NEOs) represent a target-rich environment for exploration via the “Flexible Path” option. However, prior to seriously considering human missions to NEOs, it has become clear that we currently lack a robust catalog of human-accessible targets. The majority of the NEOs identified by a study team across several NASA centers as “human-accessible” are probably too small and have orbits that are too uncertain to consider mounting piloted expeditions to these small worlds. The first step in developing such a catalog is, therefore, to complete a space-based NEO survey. The resulting catalog of candidate NEOs would then be transformed into a matrix of opportunities for robotic and human missions for the next several decades. This initial step of a space-based NEO survey first is the linchpin to laying the foundation of a low-risk architecture to venture out and explore these primitive bodies. We suggest such a minimalist framework architecture from 1) extensive ground-based and precursor spacecraft investigations (while applying operational knowledge from science-driven robotic missions), 2) astronaut servicing of spacecraft operating at geosynchronous Earth orbit to retain essential skills and experience, and 3) applying the sum of these skills, knowledge and experience to piloted missions to NEOs. IAC-11- A5.4.7 Page 1 of 12 62nd International Astronautical Congress, Cape Town, SA. Copyright ©2010 by the International Astronautical Federation. All rights reserved. I. INTRODUCTION & BACKGROUND benefit of a NEO survey in finding more accessible targets to enable mission durations on par with The idea of mounting piloted missions to asteroids International Space Station (ISS) expeditions (i.e., ~180 has been imagined for nearly half a century. The days or less). In fact, studies led by the Exploration difference today, compared to 50 years ago, is that we Systems Mission Directorate (ESMD) to date have only are now much more aware of our local surroundings identified a few (maybe only one) such targets that within the vicinity of the Earth. On 15 April 2010, the might enable an affordable mission [6]. U.S. President announced a goal of manned mission to an asteroid by 2025. Prior to mounting such a mission - II. THE NEED FOR THE NEO SURVEY even a robotic precursor - there are prerequisite steps that must be taken. First and foremost is selection of a NEO Target Sufficiency set of viable destination targets. Until a dedicated near- As the United States embarks upon a flexible path Earth object (NEO) survey is completed, this target set for the expansion of manned spaceflight beyond LEO to will remain far too limited to adequately plan human include asteroids, it must be affordable within the expeditions to these primitive bodies. increasingly constrained NASA budgets. As a result, several studies continue at various levels to identify Near-Earth Object (NEO) Background potential NEO targets for human missions that fit within Near-Earth objects (NEOs) include both asteroids accessibility constraints. First-tier characteristics for and comets whose orbits approach or intersect the accessibility include: short round-trip mission length Earth’s orbit about the Sun. All NEOs have a perihelion (ideally <180 days), slow rotation rate (i.e., 4 to 12 of 1.3 AU or less by definition. They range in size from hours), and large size (> 30 m diameter). Second-tier a few meters to as much as ~33 km across, with smaller characteristics preclude binary systems or potential objects greatly outnumbering the larger objects. surface activity, and perhaps a preference for certain Cometary bodies comprise <10% of the NEO mineralogical composition, internal structure, etc. To population. The bulk of the NEO population originates date, the sundry sets of studies have identified only a from the inner part of the Main Belt of asteroids that few potential NEO targets, all of which are small (i.e., < reside between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. 30 meters across). Hence, the most urgent, “zeroth- Collisions within this source population, coupled with order” knowledge needed to prepare for any piloted the gravitational influence of Jupiter, serve as the missions to NEOs is to discover a sufficient number of reservoir for these primitive bodies that dynamically suitable candidate targets. This knowledge need will evolve into NEOs. not be met in a timely manner by existing or planned ground-based surveys [7]. Previous Studies Under the auspices of NASA’s Constellation Program (CxP), two studies to mount human missions to NEOs were completed in 2005 and 2007, respectively [1,2,3]. Both preliminary feasibility studies involved multiple launches, utilizing and adapting Cx hardware for NEO missions. In the late 2009, the Augustine Commission concluded that the ultimate goal of human exploration is to “chart a path for human expansion into the solar system” and that “destinations should derive from goals.” The destinations beyond low-Earth orbit (LEO) the Commission examined included the Moon, Mars, NEOs as well as Phobos and Deimos. The Commission’s final report [4] also mentions the mining of NEOs for in situ resource utilization (ISRU). A year later, in 2010, NASA’s ‘Human Exploration Framework Team (HEFT)’ was formed. HEFT Figure 1: Near-Earth Asteroid (NEA) discoveries and examined possible Design Reference Missions (DRMs) estimated completeness for five size categories. Based on discovery rate statistics, and the size of asteroid to be visited to NEOs. Due to the limited number of human by astronauts, perhaps < 3% of the NEO population [to which accessible NEOs, the HEFT-designed DRMs now astronauts may venture] have been discovered (JPL). incorporate round-trip missions of 400+ days [5]. Such mission concept studies have so far neglected the IAC-11- A5.4.7 Page 2 of 12 62nd International Astronautical Congress, Cape Town, SA. Copyright ©2010 by the International Astronautical Federation. All rights reserved. The NEO Population second exposure has a limiting magnitude of ~25 [12]. The known population of NEOs (as of 8 September As much promise as both the LSST and Pan-STARRS 2011) is 8211 [8]. Of that figure, 1244 are potentially may have to detect new NEOs, neither will be able to be hazardous asteroids (PHAs). It is among the PHA of much assistance to provide a robust target list for the population in which human-accessible targets are found, first piloted mission by 2025. since these bodies have orbital parameters most like the Suitable asteroid targets for human exploration earth, and are therefore energetically favourable for a follow Earth-like orbits about the Sun and have long round trip rendezvous mission. While Adamo et al., synodic periods; to discover them quickly requires a [9] describe the NEO filtering technique developed to space-based telescopic survey [7,13]. Such a space- support the Augustine Commission [4] for potential based NEO survey could be conducted at Sun-Earth human destinations (as well as list these accessible Lagrange 1 (SEL1) or L2 (SEL2) or, in a trailing Venus- NEOs), the total population is uncertain. Due to like orbit around the Sun [13,14]. Any of these observational bias the distribution of the population in approaches can be implemented for a low-cost, near orbital element space is also not fully known. Discovery-class mission with launch ~2015. Any space- NASA’s NEO Observations Program is a result of based strategy has a high probability of discovering the 1998 Congressional directive to begin a program to scores of NEOs suitable for human exploration within identify and catalog all NEOs down to 1-km across. the first few years of operations [7]. The Catalina Sky Survey (CSS) and the Lincoln Near- The recent archival discovery of an Earth Trojan Earth Asteroid Research (LINEAR) projects are asteroid (2010 TK7, oscillating at the SEL4 point) out of currently conducting the ground-based survey for the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) survey NEOs. efforts further underscores the fundamental need for this Next generation ground-based surveys for NEOs space-based survey. However, instead being in LEO include the Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid and limiting our geometrical perspective in the search Response System (Pan-STARRS) and the Large for NEOs, it is best to place that survey telescope at Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST). The first Pan- SEL1 or SEL2 or even more optimally in a Venusian STARRS telescope (PS1) is located on the summit of orbit about the Sun.
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