Asteroid Robotic Mission Overview - National Space Grant...
Transcript of Asteroid Robotic Mission Overview - National Space Grant...
Asteroid Robotic Mission Overview: A First Step in the Journey of Human Space Exploration
and Settlement
Virginia Space Grant Consortium Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference
Williamsburg, Virginia – September 25, 2014
Dan Mazanek Senior Space Systems Engineer
NASA Langley Research Center
The Future of Human Space Exploration NASA’s Building Blocks to Mars
Earth Reliant Proving Ground Earth Independent
Missions: 6 to 12 months
Return: hours
Missions: 1 month up to 12 months
Return: days
Missions: 2 to 3 years
Return: months
Mastering the
fundamentals
aboard the
International
Space Station
Developing
planetary
independence
by exploring
Mars, its moons,
and other deep
space
destinations
U.S. companies
provide
affordable
access to low
Earth orbit
Pushing the
boundaries in
cis-lunar space
The next step: traveling
beyond low-Earth orbit with the
Space Launch System rocket
and Orion crew capsule
2
Asteroid Redirect Mission: Three Main Segments
EXPLORE Crews launch aboard SLS
rocket, travel to redirected
asteroid in Orion spacecraft
to rendezvous with redirected
asteroid – explore, study,
sample return to Earth
Goldstone Arecibo
Infrared Telescope Facility NEOWISE
IDENTIFY
Ground and space
based assets detect and
characterize potential
target asteroids
Pan-STARRS
REDIRECT Solar electric propulsion
(SEP) based robotic
capture system redirects
asteroid to cis-lunar
space (two options) A B
3
Asteroid Redirect Mission Overview Video
Animation Credit: NASA/AMA, Inc.
Previous Slides (3) Image Credits: NASA/JPL/AMA, Inc.
NASA’s Asteroid Initiative
Enhanced
Near-Earth
Object
Observation
Campaign
Asteroid
Redirect
Mission
Grand
Challenge
Robotic Mission
to Redirect an
Asteroid with
Solar Electric
Propulsion
(SEP)
Human Mission
to an
Asteroid
Diverse
Stakeholder
Engagement
Planetary
Defense
Approaches
Learning how
to manipulate
and interact
with a NEA
Grand Challenge Statement
“Find all asteroid threats to human populations and know what to do about them”
(Announced June 18, 2013)
5
Objectives of Asteroid Redirect Mission
• Conduct a human exploration mission to an asteroid in
the mid-2020’s, providing systems and operational
experience required for human exploration of Mars.
• Demonstrate an advanced solar electric propulsion
system, enabling future deep-space human and
robotic exploration with applicability to the nation’s
public and private sector space needs.
• Enhance detection, tracking and characterization
of Near Earth Asteroids, enabling an overall strategy to
defend our home planet.
• Demonstrate basic planetary defense techniques
that will inform impact threat mitigation strategies to
defend our home planet.
• Pursue a target of opportunity that benefits scientific
and partnership interests, expanding our knowledge
of small celestial bodies and enabling the mining
of asteroid resources for commercial and exploration
needs.
Image Credits: NASA/AMA, Inc. 6
Previous Slide Image Credits: NASA/JPL/AMA, Inc.
Asteroid Redirect Mission Robotic Concepts
Small Asteroid Capture Robotic Boulder Capture
SEP
Module
Capture
Module Mission
Module
SEP
Module
Capture
Module
Mission
Module
Image Credits: NASA/AMA, Inc. 7
Currently Known Candidate Asteroids for ARM
8
For Option A:
• Currently, 9 potential candidates; 3 found last year
• 3 validated candidates:
– 2009 BD – ~ 4 meter size inferred by Spitzer data
– 2013 EC20 – ~ 2 meter size determined by radar imaging
– 2011 MD – ~ 6 meter size determined by Spitzer data
• Possibly another candidate validated in 2016: 2008 HU4 – radar opportunity
• Additional valid candidates expected at a rate of 1-2 per year
For Option B:
• Lots of potential candidates
• Currently, 3 validated candidates:
– Itokawa - imaged by Hayabusa
– Bennu and 2008 EV5 – imaged by radar
• 1 possible valid candidate in 2018: 1999 JU3 - Hayabusa 2 target
• Potentially future valid candidates with inferred boulders, rate of ~1 per year
Note: Sphere is representative only. Retrieved asteroid/boulder will not
be spherical in shape
1m 2m 3m 4m 5m 6m 7m 8m 9m 10m
Size Comparisons
Itokawa
Itokawa Boulder
NEA 2009 BD
5 m asteroid/ boulder
EVA Crew Member
10 m
3 m
Image Credits:
NASA/AMA, Inc. 9
Asteroid or Boulder Mass and Size and Density
Metallic Stony Carbonaceous Mass (t)
1
10
20
50
100
500
3.22 g/cm3 5.2 g/cm3 1.62 g/cm3
NEA Type
0.7 m 0.8 m 1.1 m
1.5 m 1.8 m 2.3 m
1.9 m 2.3 m 2.9 m
5.7 m 8.4 m
Note: Assumes spherical extent
2.6 m 3.1 m
4.9 m 3.3 m 3.9 m
6.7 m
3.9 m
10
Option B returns smaller
mass because larger
NEAs further away
Image Credits: NASA/JPL/AMA, Inc.
Asteroid Redirect Vehicle (ARV) Configuration
SEP Module
Launch Vehicle
Interface
Capture Module
Mission Module
Orion docking interface
Crew access path
Image Credits: NASA/JPL/AMA, Inc.
11
STMD Solar Array Technology Work in FY 2014
Design, Build and Test of Solar Arrays • MegaFlex “fold out” solar array
• Mega-ROSA “roll out” solar array
Environmental Testing Completed •Thermal vacuum full scale deployment
•Stowed wing vibration or acoustic exposure
Each wing sized for nominally 20kW BOL
13
Analyses and Models Include:
• Design extensibility to 250kW system
• Finite element (stowed and deployed)
• CAD models (stowed and deployed)
• Structural Dynamics (stowed and deployed)
• Thermal
Image Credits: NASA
Cut away of NASA 300V PPU JPL H6 with magnetic shielding
GRC 300M with magnetic shielding
STMD Electric Propulsion Work in FY14
14
• Develop high power Hall thruster 12.5 kW-class (2X
current SOA)
• Developed magnetically shielded design to provide
long life commensurate with ARM and future
missions
• Pursued high voltage (i.e. 300V input) PPU system
compatible with high power thrusters
Image Credits: NASA
Petal
Petal-to-arm
hinge
Tube
assembly
Arm
Tube-to-tube
junction Stowed
Deployed
Asteroid Redirect Robotic Mission
Option A: Internal Risk Reduction Status
15 Image Credits: NASA/JPL
Option B
Proximity Operations and Capture System Options
Hybrid
3-DOF
Spaceframe
7-DOF
Arms
Contact
NEA
Hover 3 options
assessed
2 Capture Arms 3 Capture Spaceframes
2 Capture Arms
3 Contact Spaceframes
3 Capture Spaceframes
3 Contact Spaceframes 2 Capture Arms
3 Contact Arms
DOF = Degree of Freedom Image Credits: NASA/AMA, Inc. 16
Capture Arm &Tool Contact/Restraint “Legs”
Closed-Loop Sim Relative Navigation
Asteroid Redirect Robotic Mission
Option B: Internal Risk Reduction Status
17 Image Credits: NASA/JPL
ARV Modular Approach
SEP
Module
Common
Interface
• Improves integration and functional testing
• Streamlines interface between the Capture Module
and the Mission Module, but increases management
and systems engineering.
• Promotes reuse of SEP Module & Mission Module
designs
Unconditioned
Power, Data, Thermal
Spaceframe Hybrid 7-DOF Arms
Mission
Module Capture Module
Image Credits: NASA/AMA, Inc. 18
Planetary Defense Demonstration Options
19
y
Ion Beam Deflector – Options A & B
Gravity Tractor – Options A & B
Enhanced Gravity Tractor – Option B
• Uses a beam of quasi-neutral plasma
from an electric propulsion system to
impinge upon the NEA’s surface to
create a force and/or a torque on the
target. Image Credits: JPL-Caltech
• Use of mutual gravitational attraction to “pull” the NEA and
change its orbit while maintaining spacecraft separation
utilizing high-specific impulse propulsion.
• Uses mass augmentation at the NEA.
– Total mass can be significantly enhanced to reduce time
required for deflection (10X or more).
– Requires interaction with the NEA’s surface to collect sufficient
amount of material. Image Credit: NASA/JAXA
Resource Utilization and Planetary Defense
• Asteroids and comets represent a valuable resource for space development and settlement, as well as an inevitable hazard.
• No dedicated planetary defense system exists and funding one is unlikely due to the infrequency of impacts.
• Developing the technologies, systems, and operational approaches for utilization also helps us to be prepared to divert a future impactor.
• Integrated solution
− Efficiently move large amounts of useful asteroidal material to permit processing technique demonstrations (departure vs. destination) to leverage the economic potential of NEAs.
− Provides the foundation for “on call” planetary defense.
− No development and launch, along with personnel that are trained and proficient in operating the systems, can solve the “Impact Dilemma” (bulldozers for snowplows analogy).
Image Credit: Planetary Resources
Image Credit: Deep Space Industries
20
Image Credit: NASA/AMA, Inc.
ARM Opportunities and Extensibility
21
Small Asteroid Capture Robotic Boulder Capture
• ARM prox ops, autonomous ops, characterization & algorithms applicable • Slow Push/Pull techniques implemented with small development costs (IBD & GT)
• Techniques verifiable much more quickly on a <10 m NEA
• More relevant on hazardous-size NEA • Opportunity for kinetic impactor
Planetary Defense
Small Asteroid Capture Robotic Boulder Capture
• Applicability of high power SEP, ARM engineering instruments • Potential to host “target of opportunity” payloads
• Opportunity to learn about < 10 m asteroids; ~1:10 are C-type
• Better opportunity to return desired material (if C-type) w/geologic context
Science, Commercial and Resource Use
Small Asteroid Capture Robotic Boulder Capture
• In-space SEP and prox ops w/uncooperative target provides broad opportunities (human exploration, science, commercial)
• Supports Exploration Roadmap with partnership opportunities – Mars Forward
• Inflatable technology uses • Ion Beam Deflection for orbital debris
• Near surface ops; remote manipulator and gripper applicability
Extensibility
Image Credits: NASA/AMA, Inc. 21