Planetary Science Update & Perspectives on Venus Exploration Presentation at VEXAG James L. Green Director, Planetary Science Division May 6, 2008 1 Outline • FY09 Presidents Budget • Venus exploration opportunities: – Plans for next New Frontiers – Plans for next Discovery – Plans for SALMON – R&A opportunities 2 BUDGET BY SCIENCE THEME 3 Planetary Division 4 Planetary Division 5 What Changed, What’s the Same What Changed: • Initiated an Outer Planets Flagship (OPF) study activity joint with ESA/JAXA. • Lunar Science Research augmented to include a series of small lunar spacecraft. • Augments and enhances R&A to return more results from Planetary missions. • Discovery Program: Includes the recently selected MoOs (EPOXI and Stardust-NExT), adds Aspera-3 2nd extension (ESA/Mars Express), and selected GRAIL. • Preserves critical ISP work FY08 thru FY10, but deletes outyear activities in favor of more critical R&A and RPS enhancements. • Completes the Advanced Stirling RPS development and prepares for flight demonstration. • Mars Scout 2011 delayed to 2013 due to conflict of interest discovered during proposal evaluation. • Direction to the Mars Program to study Mars Sample Return (MSR) as a next decade goal • Expands US participation on the ESA/ExoMars mission by funding the potential selection of BOTH candidate U.S. instruments and EDL support. What’s the Same: • Discovery Program: MESSENGER, Dawn, Mars Express/Aspera-3, Chandraayn/MMM • New Frontiers Program: Juno and New Horizons • Mars Program: Odyssey, MER, MRO, Phoenix, MSL • Research Program: Lunar Science, PDS, ESA/Rosetta, JAXA/Hayabusa 6 7 TBD 8 New Frontiers & Discovery SALMON & ROSES 9 Just Released NRC NOSSE Report • “Opening New Frontiers in Space: Choices for the Next New Frontiers AO” - NASA should: – R1: Emphasize science objectives – R2: Expand the list of candidate missions – R3: Limit to the list below unless compelling science • Complete NF target list in alphabetic order: – Asteroid Rover/Sample Return* – Comet Surface Sample Return – Ganymede Observer* – Io Observer* – Jupiter Polar Orbiter with Probes - Juno – Kuiper Belt/Pluto -> New Horizons – Lunar South Pole Aitken Basin Sample Return – Network Science* – Trojan/Centaur Reconnaissance* – Venus In-Situ Explorer * Additions 10 Current NF AO Status • NRC’s recommendations lists new targets to be considered • All missions proposed must fit NF3 mission cost, timescale, and launch vehicle constraints • Proposed missions must also be consistent with the unavailability of radioisotope power sources • Launch Vehicle in or out of cost cap • NF3 Schedule: – Draft in September 2008 – AO in December 2008 • Expect NF3 AO to be greatly simplified • PI experience requirements have been posted • Final decisions for these elements have been made by Dr. Weiler and should be posted shortly 11 Discovery Program Mars evolution: Lunar formation: NEO characteristics: Mars Pathfinder (1996-1997) Lunar Prospector (1998-1999) NEAR (1996-2001) d e t e l p m o C t Solar wind sampling: Comet diversity: Nature of dust/coma: h g Genesis (2001-2004) CONTOUR Stardust (1999-2006 ) i l F n I / A u L d g o e s t 1 t e 5 l 2 p 0 0 m 2 o C t n Main-belt asteroids: Lunar Interior & Gravity: e Comet internal structure: Mercury environment: m Deep Impact (2005-2006) MESSENGER (2004-2012) Dawn (2007-2015) GRAIL (2011) p o l e v e D / t h g i l F n I 12 Next Discovery AO • Expected release in FY09 • Contents to be determined: – Cost Cap – Launch Vehicle in or out of cost cap – Use of Stirling Radioisotope Power System as GFE • Final approval for these elements are with Dr. Weiler 13 Advanced Stirling Radioisotope Generator Engineering Unit Lockheed Martin/Sunpower • Operation in space and on surface of atmosphere- bearing planets and moons • Characteristics: – !14 year lifetime – Nominal power : 140 We – Mass ~ 20 kg – System efficiency: ~ 30 % – 2 GPHS (“Pu238 Bricks”) modules – Uses 0.8 kg Pu238 • Final wiring and connections Paired converters with interconnect for ASRG engineering unit sleeve assembly underway • Reliability to be demonstrated by the end of 2009 Outboard Housing and Paired ASC-Es 14 Discovery & Mars Scout Capability Enhancement NRA • Program solicited mission concept proposals for small planetary missions that require the ASRG power source – Two Stirling Engines ~140 Watts each (as GFE) • Intended to foster science exploration in planetary science by missions enabled by ASRG • Mission design assistance for these 6 month mission concept studies will be offered by NASA • Selected 9 proposals – 40 proposals submitted with average budget of $271K – NRA directed proposers to budget $200,000-$300,000 15 DSMCE Selections Aerial Polar VALOR: The Feasibility of A Nuclear-Powered Long- Baines, Kevin JPL Venus Vehicle Duration Balloon Mission to Explore the Poles of Venus Los Alamos National Locating and Characterizing Lunar Polar Volatiles: Feasibility Elphic, Richard Moon Lander Laboratory of a Discovery-Class Mission Journey to the land of Eternal Darkness and Ice (JEDI): A Jolliff, Bradley Washington University Moon Rover Lunar Polar Volatile Explorer Rivkin, Andrew Applied Physics Lab Asteroid Lander Ilion: An ASRG-Enabled Trojan Asteroid Mission Concept A tour through Martian history: An ASRG-powered polar ice Hecht, Michael JPL Mars Lander borehole. Stofan, Ellen Proxemy Research Outer Planets Lander Titan Mare Explorer (TiME) McEwen, Alfred University of Arizona Outer Planets Orbiter Mission Concept: Io Volcano Observer (IVO) Sample Concept Study for a Comet Coma Rendezvous Sample Sandford, Scott NASA/AMES Comet Return Return Mission Sunshine, Jessica Univeristy of Maryland Comet Lander Comet Hopper 16 Current SALMON AO Schedule • SALMON Solicitation Development Sept 2007 – Feb 2008 • Release Draft for comment March 2008 • Revise SALMON based on comments April 2008 • SALMON Release – Program Element Cycle I May 2008 • Proposals Due August 2008 • Selections Announced NLT February 2009 • SALMON Amendments (notional) – Program Element Cycle II (special) May 2008 – Program Element Cycle III (regular) May 2009 • Final approval for the release of this AO has been made by Dr. Weiler expect an announcement soon 17 Types of Missions of Opportunity • Traditional MoOs – Investigations involving participation in non-NASA space missions (ie: science instrument, technology demonstrations, hardware components …) • U.S. Participating Investigator – Co-Investigator (non-hardware) for a science or technology experiment to be built and flown by an agency other than NASA • New Science Missions using Existing Spacecraft – Investigations that propose a new scientific use of existing NASA spacecraft (ie: NExT, EPOXI …) • Small Complete Missions – Science investigations that can be realized within the specified cost cap (includes all phases from access to space through data publication) • Focused Opportunities – Investigations that address a specific, NASA-identified flight opportunity 18 PSD R&A Opportunities • ROSES 2008: – Discovery Data Analysis Program (DDAP) -> Planetary Mission Data Analysis Program (PMDAP) • Participating Scientist Program for Venus Climate Orbit is under discussion • A comparative Climatology of Venus-Earth-Mars is under consideration for ROSES 2009 19 NASA’s “Flyby, Orbit, Land, Rove, and Return Samples” 20 Outer Planets Flagship 21 Cassini Mission • Prime mission July 2004 – July 2008 – Cassini spacecraft virtually 100% operational • Approved extended mission goes to Sept. 2010 • Extended mission science goals include: – Titan (26 encounters) The extended mission plan includes 2 ~ 25 km passes – Enceladus (7 encounters + Rhea, Dione) thru Enceladus’ plume. – Observe Saturn system thru Aug. ‘09 equinox Prime observations on curved line. • Estimate ~46% of hydrazine will remains at end of the extended mission – Depending on health an XXM is viable – Important for end of life to retain adequate fuel • Cassini costs: – LLC to end of prime mission: $3.27B ($2.6B US, $660M ESA) – Yearly operations: $80M 22 Flagship Mission Studies Europa Jupiter System Titan Enceladus 23 Background • Phase I - January 2007 four studies initiated: – Europa Explorer - Led by JPL – Jupiter System Observer - Led by JPL – Titan - Led by APL – Enceladus - Led by GSFC • Final study reports submitted August 29th to Science Panel & NASA Technical Management and Cost (TMC) Review Teams • Dec. 23, 2007 NASA announced the Phase II studies: – NASA leads: Europa Explorer & Titan – ESA leads: Jupiter System Orbiter 24 Background (cont.) • Phase II studies to concentrate on the findings from Science & TMC panels • Other Programmatic changes include: – Focused missions (not like Cassini, Galileo) – Europa Jupiter System Mission (EJSM) consisting of NASA Europa Orbiter, ESA Jupiter Planetary Orbiter, JAXA Magnetospheric Orbiter – Titan Saturn System Mission (TSSM) consisting of NASA Titan Orbiter, ESA insitu vehicles (lander & balloon) – NASA cost cap ($2.1B FY07), MMRTGs only, 34m DSN 25 Schedule & Next Steps • August 4-Sept. 12: Independent review of reports by Science and TMC panels • Sept. 12 - Oct. 22: Teams respond to findings • Oct. 22: Updated Phase II report due • Nov.- Dec.: Final down-select to a single mission by NASA & ESA – Mission must be above the “floor” of Planetary Decadal level science – Technical feasible (ex: low or medium/low) within budget • NASA and ESA jointly study one Phase A mission, establish consistent schedule 26.