Jet SEPTEMBER Propulsion 2011 Laboratory volume 41

number 9

Moon mission on the way By Mark Whalen

GRAIL orbiter will precisely measure gravity field; liftoff due Sept. 8 Dutch Slager / JPL Photo Lab Above: GRAIL Principal Investigator Maria Zuber (left) The mysteries hidden below the surface of the moon measure the changes in range between the two orbiters. and Project Manager David Lehman are soon to be revealed as JPL’s Gravity Recovery and The device is similar to the one employed on JPL’s Grav- Interior Laboratory, or GRAIL, mission prepares for its ity Recovery and Climate Experiment, or GRACE, whose knowledge of the satellite’s near-side gravity by launch Thursday, Sept. 8 from Kennedy Space Center. twin orbiters have precisely measured Earth’s gravita- 100 times and of far-side gravity by 1,000 times. GRAIL will create the most accurate gravitational map tional field since 2002. “I predict we are going to find something ... that of the moon to date. “From GRACE, we have both hardware and people is really, really going to surprise us and turn our GRAIL comprises twin satellites that will launch to- heritage,” said Lehman, noting that a few JPLers understanding of how the Earth and other terrestrial gether on a Delta II rocket, separate shortly thereafter worked on both projects. Charlie Dunn, deputy manager planets formed on its ear,” said Maria Zuber of the then begin to fly independent paths to the moon before of the Tracking Systems and Applications Section 335, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, GRAIL’s principal converging next New Year’s Day to begin an 82-day led the lunar gravity ranging system effort for GRAIL investigator. science phase from 55 kilometers (34 miles) above the through the delivery to the assembled spacecraft. Students will have an opportunity to participate in the lunar surface. The two orbiters will travel to the moon via the mission through Moon Knowledge Acquired by Middle JPL built the payload and also provides project man- sun-Earth Lagrange point 1, a spot where the gravity school students, or MoonKam, a program led by Sally agement and mission assurance services, and is mission between the two bodies balances the centrifugal force Ride Science of San Diego that will allow classrooms to operations lead. Lockheed Martin built the spacecraft experienced at those points while orbiting with the bod- request pictures of the lunar surface from cameras on and will support mission operations. ies. This low-energy transfer was chosen to reduce the the twin satellites. Leesa Hubbard, a teacher in resi- Project Manager David Lehman said the mission’s size of the rocket required to place GRAIL on its correct dence with Sally Ride Science, noted that the presence major challenge involves very precise formation flying. trajectory, allow more time for spacecraft check-out of MoonKam makes GRAIL the first planetary mission to “Our mission operations team has been working for and increase the number of days available in the launch have an instrument strictly dedicated to education and about four years developing the concept to accomplish period. public outreach. She said that about 500 teachers have that,” he said. Lehman said the plan calls for the arrival of the already registered their classes for participation. See Lehman, a retired U.S. Navy Reserve officer, compared GRAIL-A orbiter at the moon on Dec. 31, followed by http://moonkam.ucsd.edu for more information. GRAIL’s precision to the formation flights by the Blue GRAIL-B’s arrival Jan. 1, 2012. A prelaunch webcast for the mission will be streamed Angels, a popular U.S. Navy flight demonstration squad- Besides providing an invaluable navigational aid for at noon on Wednesday, Sept. 7. To view the webcast or ron that performs at military and civilian airshows. future lunar spacecraft—both human and robotic—ac- to learn more about the mission, visit http://www.nasa. Lehman noted that JPL developed GRAIL’s lunar grav- curate knowledge of the moon’s gravity will also help gov/GRAIL and http://GRAIL.nasa.gov. The launch will ity ranging system instrument, which will send and in understanding broader evolutionary histories of the also be streamed live, with a chat available, on http:// receive the signals needed to accurately and precisely other rocky planets in the inner solar system: Mercury, www.ustream.tv/nasajpl2. Venus, Earth and Mars. GRAIL looks to improve our Universe 2 the nextgenerationsofstudents. for responsible forintroducing criticalthinkingskillsandessentialcontentmatterto es entirely onfuture mathandscienceteachers,theindividualsdirectly responsible aspiring scienceandmathteacherswithpaidsummerinternshipsinnational,inde- School). Skyler Lassman(OrcuttAcademyHighSchool),JessicaPotter(ArroyoValley HighSchool)andAdorinaMoshava(Taft High From leftareJPLsummerinternteachersShinAdachi(SynergyQuantumAcademy),AndrewGiang(LosAltosHighSchool), pay off Teachers’ internships JPLer will lead technology demoforprecisenavigation JPLer willleadtechnology clock proposal advances Ultra-accurate atomic Out ofthemanystudentprograms andinternshipsoffered atJPL,onlyonefocus- The ScienceTeacher andResearcher (STAR) Program does justthat.Itprovides By Mark Whalen By Susan Braunheim mission. Clock demo Space Atomic for theDeep investigator principal Todd Elyis propulsion capabilities. deep-space navigationandin-space to transformspacecommunications, technology-demonstration missions three recently selectedbyNASAas Engineering Group (343K). Navigation andMissionDesignSystem tems, willbeledbyTodd Elyofthe times more stablethantoday’s sys- ized mercury-ion clockthatis100 Deep SpaceAtomicClock,aminiatur cury ion-traptechnologymorecury than20 “JPL’s JohnPrestage inventedthemer benefits forone-wayradionavigation. precision timinginspaceandits A JPL-ledproposal isoneof A missiontoflyandvalidatethe The project willdemonstrateultra-

- - yields more trackingdataespeciallyfor operations atMarsmore efficient.Italso divide timeonthelink,makingnavigation with asingleantennawithouthavingto spacecraft canbetrackedandnavigated up wholenewwaysofoperating—multiple tracking datafornavigation.Thisopens the signalaround tocollecthigh-quality reference there really isn’t aneedtoturn a signalthatisasstabletheground said. “Sincethespacecraftcannowemit tion. “Thatisthegamechanger,” he make itidealforanonboard applica- under 3kilogramsandsmallsizethat navigate almostallofourspacecraft.” diometric trackingsystemsthatweuseto are fundamentalcomponentstothera- version thatwilloperateinspace.Clocks ing theclockinlabandbuildaflight and wewillleadateamofengineerstak- and BobTjoelkerare myco-investigators deep-space atomicclock,”saidEly. “John ready touseitasthebasisforasmall miniaturized ittothepointwhere we’re years agoandhassteadilyimproved and three yearsofparticipation. TennesseeColorado, Maryland, andWashington. JPLhashosted28internsduringits summers, theprogram hasoffered 222placementsat15research sitesinCalifornia, Foundation andNASA,aswellprivateresearch organizations. Overthepastfive government agenciesthatincludetheU.S.DepartmentofEnergy, theNationalScience learners. thisexcitementintotheirfutureteachers willcarry classrooms, teachingandinspiring the culture ofJPLspecifically, andthescientificenvironment ingeneral.Theseyoung aspiring scienceandmathteacherstoexperiencereal, hands-on science, andabsorb ist whocoordinates theprogram onLab.“Ourscientistsandengineersenablethese fornia andnationwide,”saidPetraKneissl-Milanian,aJPLeducationprogram special- adds toscience,technology, engineering andmathematics,orSTEM,educationinCali- seven otherinternsare continuingtheireducation. gram atJPLthissummer, fivehavebeenoffered teachingpositionsforthefall.The “teacher-researcher” career path. pendent anduniversitylaboratoriesallowingparticipantstopursueaprestigious dual The fulltextofthisarticleispostedonLabathttp://jplspace. Ely saidtheclockwillhaveamassof The STAR program isoffered bytheCaliforniaStateUniversityinpartnershipwith “Providing research opportunitiesforSTAR participantsisoneofmanywaysJPL Out ofthe12undergraduate andgraduateschoolinternsparticipatinginthepro- directors visitLab NASA center ter directors’meeting isavailableathttp://goto/center-directors. JPLers, “We haveanopportunitytoshapethefuture.”Thecen- FlightResearchand DavidMcBride(Dryden Center).Elachitold Space FlightCenter);PeteWorden (AmesResearch Center) Roe (LangleyResearch Center);RobertLightfoot (Marshall Elachi; RayLugo,directoroftheGlennResearch Center;Lesa shuttle era.Onhand,fromleft,wereJPLDirectorDr. Charles discuss withmanagerstheagency’s nextstepsinthepost- The directorsofseveralNASAcentersvisitedJPLAug.15to navigation.“ and demonstrateitsutilityforprecision us toconfirmthestabilityofclock, ously. Thisprovides arichdatasetfor be abletodothis,essentially, continu- the GPSsatellitesthatare inview. We’ll data from theforward-looking antennato be abletocollectradiometrictracking 2015,” hesaid.“Whileonorbitwewill payload onanIridiumNextspacecraftin operation, period,”saidEly. tant role inextendingGPS’s autonomous whousesit,andplayan impor everyone the performanceofconstellationfor types ofstabilitieswouldgreatly improve for useonfuture GPSsatellites.“These the ion-clocktechnologywouldbeideal on GPSclockstabilitiesby100times, Indeed, sincethetechnologyimproves has great benefitsnearEarthaswell. deep-space missions.Butthedevice is notreduced byround-trip lighttimes.” deep-space usersbecausetrackingtime “It isourplantolaunchasahosted The team’s intendedapplicationisfor - 3 Visionary JPLers named to lead studies in NASA’s

Innovative Advanced Concepts Program niverse U breakthroughs Four JPL-led proposals were among 30 selected in August for funding under NASA’s Innovative Advanced Concepts Program. These concepts—the first for the program—were chosen based on their potential value to the agency’s future space missions and operational needs and are 10 years or more from on the way mission infusion. Each proposal will receive about $100,000 for one year to advance its innovative space technology concept. Below is an overview of By Mark Whalen concepts led by JPL principal investigators.

Spacecraft/ Printable Ghost Interplanetary Rover Spacecraft Imaging CubeSats: Hybrids for the of Space Opening the Exploration of Objects Solar System Small Solar System Bodies to a Broad Community at Lower Cost Dutch Slager / JPL Photo Lab

Principal investigator Marco Pavone (Ad- Flexible printed electronics have revolution- Principal investigator Dmitry Strekalov and In much the same way that CubeSats weigh- vanced Robotic Controls Group) and his team ized consumer products such as cell phones his team, including JPL co-investigators Baris ing a few pounds have dramatically increased (Julie Castillo-Rogez, JPL scientist; Issa Nes- and PDAs, allowing greater functionality with Erkmen and Nan Yu, propose a revolutionary low-cost access to experimentation in low- nas, JPL roboticist; and Jeffrey Hoffman, MIT decreasing size and weight. But who could concept in applying optical “ghost imaging” Earth orbit, a team led by Robert Staehle professor and former astronaut) propose to imagine a similar process creating a self- techniques in astronomy and astrophysics. will develop six technologies in unison to develop a mission architecture for the system- contained, end-to-end, flexible spacecraft? Potential benefits include enhanced resolu- enable dramatically lower-cost solar system atic and affordable in-situ exploration of small Kendra Short and Dave van Buren did. Short tion and better imaging of space objects such exploration. solar-system bodies such as asteroids, comets and van Buren, both from the Mechanical Sys- as Earth-like planets (including those near CubeSats measure about 4 inches, with a and Martian moons. tems Division 350, are co-investigators for this bright stars), black holes and dust or gas volume of about 1 quart, and weigh no more The idea is to have a mother spacecraft architectural concept of designing and fabri- clouds. than 2.2 pounds. The team’s study will show deploy on the surface of a small body one or cating a spacecraft based entirely on flexible Ghost imaging is a process in which cam- how combining upgraded CubeSat elements more robotic mobility platforms that would substrate printed electronics. Short and her eras measure light beams to create images of can host small, capable instruments and opti- behave as spacecraft/rover hybrids, capable of team see opportunities to leverage the cur- objects otherwise difficult to image directly. cal telecommunications on an example mission accessing most destinations on virtually any rent consumer electronics industry investment Other researchers have used artificially gener- to map the composition of a sequence of near- small body. Each platform would be sealed in by augmenting its capabilities with advanced ated light and correlations between pairs of Earth asteroids. The six technologies combine an enclosure and would have minimal internal materials and engineering research performed photons to build up a ghost image of the target to enable a new architecture, yielding many actuation, critically enabled by the micrograv- by universities, industry and NASA centers. The object. mission possibilities: ity environment. Once deployed, the hybrids team will explore the viability of printed tech- Rather than use this traditional approach, • CubeSat electronics and subsystems would perform attitude-controlled hops for nologies for creating small two-dimensional Strekalov’s team will try to answer whether the extended to operate in the interplanetary long-range travel (about 10 meters per hop) spacecraft, including mission concepts, archi- concept can also be used for natural sources of environment and would tumble to reach specific locations. tectures, materials, subsystems, integration illumination such as the sun and stars, which • Optical telecommunications to enable very Through hybrid mobility, the deployed plat- and manufacturing. They will inventory relevant give off their own light. small, low-power uplink/downlink over inter- forms would quickly travel to targeted loca- sensors and subsystem elements—identifying The team’s technique employs feature detec- planetary distances tions. In turn, the mother spacecraft would act gaps between what is currently available in in- tion—looking for signatures that reveal certain • Solar sail propulsion to enable rendezvous as a communication relay to Earth and would dustry products and what is required for space features of objects. It can be used to suppress with multiple targets using no propellant perform remote measurements complementing applications—and develop a strategy for tech- unwanted light, particularly useful for exoplan- • Navigation of the “interplanetary super- those taken in-situ by the hybrids. Pavone says nology investments needed to fill those gaps. et imaging. While not focused on one mission highway” to enable multiple destinations over the hybrids would allow multi-asset missions With this revolutionary capability, Short says, or type of observation, the concept provides reasonable mission durations and distances where not only specific targets could be close- NASA would be able to dramatically improve a technology that will complement traditional • Small, highly capable instrumentation ly observed, sampled and cached, but also performance, flexibility, weight, cost, schedule, large telescopes while offering special proper- enabling acquisition of high-quality scientific high-risk, high-payoff measurements could be reliability and operational simplicity for many ties that conventional imaging systems do not and exploration information taken, since the loss of one hybrid would not scientific missions and support for human provide. It can be used for ground- or space- • Onboard storage and processing of raw spell the end of the mission. Missions envi- exploration. based telescopes, or a combination of both. instrument data and navigation information sioned for this architecture range from the The work includes a miniature imaging spec- exploration of active comets, to the detailed trometer based on instruments currently being analysis of wet asteroids, to the emulation of built at JPL, as well as an optical telecom- astronauts with manned maneuvering units. munications flight terminal based on JPL laser telecommunications development. Universe 4 Pasadena, CA91109. 4800 OakGroveDrive, of theJetPropulsionLaboratory, of CommunicationsandEducation Universe ispublishedbytheOffice READ ANDSUBMITCLASSIFIEDADS AT JPL’s online newsource [email protected] David Hinkle Audrey Steffan JPL PhotoLab Photography Production Design Mark Whalen Editor B N http://jplspace E-mail usat

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P ity, self-confidence,persistenceand engineering leader:creativity, curios- learned thequalitiesofasystems and technicaltraining,participants tems engineersfrom across NASA. yearlong effortthatincluded20sys- Leadership DevelopmentProgram, a pleted NASA’s SystemsEngineering Research Group (525)recently com- Software Assuranceand sign Group (3455)andJaneOhofthe number ofactivevolcanoesanywhere. for havingdiscovered thegreatest the GuinnessBookofWorld Records women. In2006shewashonored in among Hispanicgroups andyoung outreach andeducation,particularly of hersignificanteffortsinpublic Sciencesinrecognitionfor Planetary Carl SaganMedalbytheAASDivision many thatwere previously unknown. volcanoes onJupiter’s moonIo,finding In theyearstofollow, sheinvestigated near infrared mappingspectrometer. the Galileoproject, workingonthe two yearslaterbecameamemberof gist, LopesjoinedJPLin1989and radar teamonCassini. also theinvestigationscientistfor GeosciencesGroup.Planetary Sheis oftheGeophysicsand supervisor ScienceSection(322)and Planetary year later. become chairoftheorganization one begins herterminOctober, andwill professional scientists.She planetary the world’s largest organization of the AmericanAstronomical Society, Sciencesof the DivisionforPlanetary Lopes hasbeennamedvicechairof engineering leadership JPLers completesystems Lopes namedvicechair analyst forJPL’s contracts. military asasoftwaretion. Healsolaterserved Information SystemsEngineeringSec - the Test andEvaluationSubgroup inthe nology. In1989hewasnamedtolead Office ofAdvancedResearch and Tech- U.S. AirForce project fundedbyNASA’s static Aerospace Navigator, alate-1960s developed fortheStrapdownElectro - he programmed navigationequations retired in2004.AgraduateofUCLA, engineer andprogrammer, diedMay23. Medalin1977and1992. al Service Intelligence mission. part oftheSearch forExtraterrestrial aged theMicrowave Project, Observing Space ShuttleDiscovery. Healsoman- the Ulyssesmission’s 1990launchfrom integration andsupportmanagerfor ternational SolarPolarMissionandas injection modulemanagerfortheIn- asintegrationand to 1995.Heserved and manager, diedApril18. Prizgintas joinedJPLin1962and Raymond Prizgintas,74,aretired Kolden wasawarded NASA’s Exception- Kolden workedattheLabfrom 1963 John Kolden,83,aretired engineer Through mentoring,coaching Jason GatesoftheElectronics De- In 2005,Lopeswasawarded the geolo- A volcanologistandplanetary Lopes isdeputymanagerofthe JPL seniorresearch scientistRosaly

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sionals toreceive therecent honor. one of26mobility-engineeringprofes- tion oftechnicalinformation.Biruris planning, developmentanddissemina- their outstandingcontributionstothe Award. International Forest R.McFarland the SocietyofAutomotiveEngineers neering Group, hasbeenhonored with Engi- in theThermalandCryogenic Birur earns kudos Birur earns technical activity,” shesaid. sands ofpeopleengagedinahighly communication withhundreds orthou- cy projects, andaboutbi-directional multiple organizations andcross-agen- critical decisions,aboutworkingwith learned great lessonsaboutmaking istrators andprogram executives.“I she interactedwithassociateadmin- time atNASAHeadquarters,where due forlaunchSept.8.Shealsospent mission, andInteriorLaboratory ery phase, includingJPL’s GravityRecov- flight projects intheirimplementation Oh participatedinreviews ofNASA spacecraft. Mars ScienceLaboratory Mars ExplorationRovers,Dawnand ment oftheflightavionicsfor Gates, whohasworkedondevelop- for thespacecraftwedevelop,”said of assessingandacceptingflightrisks ence gavemeabetterunderstanding Taurus andAtlasrockets. “Thisexperi- several launch-vehicleriskitemsfor ProgramServices allowedhimtowork Mission AssuranceDivision’s Launch Center withtheNASASafetyand miliar setting. new knowledgeandskillsinanunfa- that challengedthemtoincorporate gineering roles atanewNASAcenter Participants alsotookonsystems-en- an understandingofhumandynamics. Vegas. two brothers andhisfather. Michael MarshallandMeaganMarshall; Brittney Solesbee,Ashley and GloriaFontenot;grandchildren dren StevenSolesbee,StaceyO’Brien Medal. Service O’Brien received NASA’s Exceptional Council onMinorityAffairs.In1997, ontheJPLAdvisory He alsoserved Institutional OperationsProcess Office. Information SystemsSection;andthe Section;Institutional work Services Communications, ComputingandNet- Section; Purpose ComputingServices istrative ComputingSection;General 37 yearswithJPL,leadingtheAdmin- was asectionmanagerformostofhis died June9. retired computerscientistandmanager, and sisterRitaGilmore. Department. for theLosAngelesCountySherriff’s a Montrose rescue organization and team, Prizgintasalsovolunteered for Private services werePrivate services heldinLas byhiswife,Emily;chil- He issurvived O’Brien joinedtheLabin1961and Haskell (Hack)O’Brien,75,a byhismother,Prizgintas issurvived A memberofJPL’s search andrescue The award recognizes individualsfor Gajanana Birur, aprincipalengineer At MarshallSpaceFlightCenter, Gates’ assignmentatKennedySpace L of Geodesy, includingcurrently as tions intheInternationalAssociation innumerousserved leadershipposi- Shehas Satellite SystemService). the InternationalGlobalNavigation (nowcalled International GPSService key playerintheestablishmentof the award. years—and thefirstfemale—towin the firstAmericaninmore than30 of theorganization. Neilanbecomes Levallois, formersecretary general Medal, whichhonorsJean-Jacques awarded theassociation’s Levallois national AssociationofGeodesy. totheInter her distinguishedservice of theGlobalPositioningSystemand geodetic andgeophysicalapplications her internationaleffortsrelated tothe ceived amajoraward inrecognition of Tracking andRadarSectionhasre- sincere appreciation, as aremembrance ofmyfather. With plant arrangementasthatwilllive on muchforthe at JPL.Thankyouvery close ofacommunitywehavehere appreciated andreminds me of how I received from much theLabwasvery The tremendous supportmyfamily and for thepassingofmyfather, Manuel. mails, textsandlettersofcondolences Development andthosewhosente- would liketothankJPL,Professional appreciated. and comforting.Your supportisgreatly flowers, plantsandcards are beautiful recent passingofmymother. Your thoughtful condolencesafterthe Division 22and27fortheir all ofourfriendsandcolleaguesin mother entered eternalsleep. difficulttimewhenmy during avery the beautifulplant.Itwascomforting colleagues inDivision173andJPLfor International International presidentsoftheorganization. ofGeodesy;theothermenareformer Association zerland; ChrisRizos, Australia; andMichaelSideris, Canada. Rizosisthecurrentpresidentof JPL’s RuthNeilan, center, (fromleft)FernandoSanso, by isflanked GerhardBeutler, Italy; Swit- High honorsforNeilan On behalfoftheLopezfamily, I My familyandIwouldliketothank I wouldliketothankmyfriendsand In theearly1990sNeilanwasa Neilan, withJPLsince1984,was Ruth NeilanoftheCommunications, etters Paul andBJOttenfeld Iris Young andfamily Mark Lopez - 10 years,Section5140. years, Section2142;RaminRoosta , Section 312A;SheldonWinnick,20 tion 173D;CraigPeterson,21years, 1900; Barbara Wilson,23years,Section Laura White,23years,Section2690; Betty Preece, 24years,Section252C; Okonek, 26years,Section334B; 29 years,Section318G;Joseph 32 years,Section337C;JanGohlke, years, Section1020;MarkSchaefer, years, Section1800;DougSanders,32 Section 388B;Yvonne Samuel,35 8110; in August: my father’s death.Warm regards, are ofgreat comforttomeasIgrieve sympathy card, plantandkindwords me duringmytimeofsadness.Your was sothoughtfulofyoutothink at therecent lossofmyfather. It in Section2512fortheircondolences tude toallmycolleaguesandfriends than 80countries. and dataanalysiscentersinmore than 400permanentground stations university research groups—with more tions—mostly public,governmentand odesy comprisesabout200organiza- Navigation andTiming. Boarderal Advisory onPositioning, Research Program andtheU.S.Fed- Outer SpaceAffairs,theWorld Climate Committee, UnitedNationsOfficeof Science’s World DataSystemScientific others, theInternationalCouncilof global changeresearch. monitoring theEarthsystemandfor geodetic infrastructure for necessary System,whichprovidesObserving vice president oftheGlobalGeodetic Satellite System’s CentralBureau and the InternationalGlobalNavigation committee. Sheisalsodirector of a memberofthegroup’s executive R Donald Kurtz,45years,Section The followingJPLemployeesretired I wouldlikeexpress mysincere grati- The InternationalAssociationofGe- She hasalsocontributedto,among Harold Minuskin,22years,Sec- Thomas Bicknell,42years, etirees Cliff Fredericks