Human exploration of near earth asteroids: Mission analysis for chemical and electric propulsion

Human exploration of near Earth Asteroids: Architecture of proximity operations

“…As presented in a previous paper of the authors [3], it is indeed our baseline mission that the human mission presence at the asteroid does not extend past a few weeks. On the other hand, countless robotic missions have shown that robotic spacecrafts can function for several months.…”

“…Usually the most easily accessible asteroids are small in size and so present a challenge to the navigators in close proximity to the body. For example, in the previous paper pertaining to this study [3], Herman and Zimmer et al discuss that SG344 is a very attractive target from the accessibility point of view. If it is determined that the asteroid's gravity field is unstable to orbit, the crew's science time at the body could be reduced as they perform maneuvers instead of doing scientific operations.…”

“…These surveillance activities simultaneously reveal that we can find multiple NEAs accessible within a total mission duration of less than a year [3], which is commensurate with the transit time to Mars. Also important are the physical characteristics of the NEA population provided by these programs such as their size, rotation period, and surface properties through albedo, lightcurves, and spectral measurements, in this order.…”

“…These target bodies are selected out of the chemical/electric-chemical optimal trajectory filter by Herman et al [3]. These targets represent the whole spectrum of the size distribution of target bodies accessible by humans ranging from a few tens of meters to a few hundred meters in diameter.…”

“…The research presented in this paper is based on studies done in the context of the NASA-NIA Revolutionary Aerospace Systems Concepts Academic Linkage: Human Scale Architecture and Systems Competition (RASC-AL) 2012 Forum [2]. It was preceded by another paper presenting another facet of the work undertaken by the authors within the context of this project, addressing NEA accessibility and mission analysis [3]. The exploration program that results from this combined work has been named Artemis, after the goddess of the hunt and twin sister of the Greek god Apollo.…”