Deep Interior: Spacecraft Initiatives for Near-Earth Object Geophysical Exploration

Details Deep Interior: Spacecraft Initiatives for Near-Earth Object Geophysical Exploration Deep Interior: Spacecraft Initiatives for Near-Earth Object Geophysical Exploration

Dec 2002

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2002agufm.p21a0364a&link_type=abstract

American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2002, abstract #P21A-0364

Physics

0394 Instruments And Techniques, 6000 Planetology: Comets And Small Bodies, 6205 Asteroids And Meteoroids

Scientific paper

Near-Earth objects (NEOs) represent a superlative sampling of protoplanetary materials from throughout the solar system. They also have come to focus in recent years as potential natural disasters in need of careful assessment - not only the determination of NEO populations and detailed orbits, but also an understanding of how they are put together, and how they will behave during the course of energetic surface operations (from penetrometry to human visitation to diversion). We describe a concept for a robust multiple-rendezvous science mission to three representative near-Earth objects including a dormant or extinct comet nucleus. Key features include solar electric propulsion, autonomous navigation, stereogrammetric imaging, plus dual-wavelength radio tomography from orbit and small cratering science experiments for material and dynamical studies. The cratering experiments (conducted by instrumented blast payloads) will serve as precursors to future landed seismic investigations, and will enable the construction of realistic simulation environments for lowering the risk of future landed NEO missions. Mission science goals include: (1) definitive test of the rubble pile hypothesis for asteroids, (2) definitive test of the mantling hypothesis for comets, and whether primitive materials inhabit their interior, and (3) definitive study of the depth and mobility of regolith. This mission can be delivered for under the NASA Discovery cost cap. Significant payload margins allow for the addition of auxiliary landed instruments (penetrometer/seismometer) at each NEO visited, in which case the existing cratering experiments would serve as seismic signals. This combination of multiple wavelength radar tomography and seismic analysis would be an especially powerful probe of NEO interiors.

Affiliated with

Also associated with

No associations

Rating

Deep Interior: Spacecraft Initiatives for Near-Earth Object Geophysical Exploration does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.

If you have personal experience with Deep Interior: Spacecraft Initiatives for Near-Earth Object Geophysical Exploration, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Deep Interior: Spacecraft Initiatives for Near-Earth Object Geophysical Exploration will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

Comments { 0 }

Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-1891919