Capabilities of Gossamer-1 derived small spacecraft solar sails carrying Mascot-derived nanolanders for in-situ surveying of NEAs

Autor: Alessandro Peloni, Waldemar Bauer, Eugen Mikulz, Ralf Boden, Christian Krause, Tom Spröwitz, Sergio Montenegro, Federico Cordero, Aaron Koch, Friederike Wolff, Wolfgang Seboldt, Tra-Mi Ho, Alexander Koncz, Roy Lichtenheldt, Jens Biele, Rico Jahnke, Simon Tardivel, Thomas Renger, Jan Thimo Grundmann, Etienne Dumont, Patric Seefeldt, David Hercik, Ivanka Pelivan, Michael Ruffer, Caroline Lange, Elisabet Wejmo, Volker Maiwald, Norbert Toth, Nicole Schmitz, Bernd Dachwald, Maciej Sznajder, Matteo Ceriotti, Dominik Quantius, Johannes Riemann, Christian Ziach, Peter Spietz, Tobias Mikschl, Siebo Reershemius, Kaname Sasaki, Christian Grimm
Rok vydání: 2019
Předmět:
Zdroj: Acta Astronautica
ISSN: 0094-5765
Popis: Any effort which intends to physically interact with specific asteroids requires understanding at least of the composition and multi-scale structure of the surface layers, sometimes also of the interior. Therefore, it is necessary first to characterize each target object sufficiently by a precursor mission to design the mission which then interacts with the object. In small solar system body (SSSB) science missions, this trend towards landing and sample-return missions is most apparent. It also has led to much interest in MASCOT-like landing modules and instrument carriers. They integrate at the instrument level to their mothership and by their size are compatible even with small interplanetary missions.\ud \ud The DLR-ESTEC Gossamer Roadmap NEA Science Working Groups‘ studies identified Multiple NEA Rendezvous (MNR) as one of the space science missions only feasible with solar sail propulsion. Parallel studies of Solar Polar Orbiter (SPO) and Displaced L1 (DL1) space weather early warning missions studies outlined very lightweight sailcraft and the use of separable payload modules for operations close to Earth as well as the ability to access any inclination and a wide range of heliocentric distances.\ud \ud These and many other studies outline the unique capability of solar sails to provide access to all SSSB, at least within the orbit of Jupiter. Since the original MNR study, significant progress has been made to explore the performance envelope of near-term solar sails for multiple NEA rendezvous.\ud \ud However, although it is comparatively easy for solar sails to reach and rendezvous with objects in any inclination and in the complete range of semi-major axis and eccentricity relevant to NEOs and PHOs, it remains notoriously difficult for sailcraft to interact physically with a SSSB target object as e.g. the Hayabusa missions do.\ud \ud The German Aerospace Center, DLR, recently brought the Gossamer solar sail deployment technology to qualification status in the Gossamer-1 project. Development of closely related technologies is continued for very large deployable membrane-based photovoltaic arrays in the GoSolAr project.\ud \ud We expand the philosophy of the Gossamer solar sail concept of efficient multiple sub-spacecraft integration to also include landers for one-way in-situ investigations and sample-return missions. These are equally useful for planetary defence scenarios, SSSB science and NEO utilization. We outline the technological concept used to complete such missions and the synergetic integration and operation of sail and lander.\ud \ud We similarly extend the philosophy of MASCOT and use its characteristic features as well as the concept of Constraints-Driven Engineering for a wider range of operations.
Databáze: OpenAIRE
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