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The Near Earth Object Scout Spacecraft: A Low Cost Approach to in-situ Characterization of the NEO Population

In this paper we describe a micro/nano satellite spacecraft and a supporting mission profile and architecture designed to enable preliminary in-situ characterization of a significant number of Near Earth Objects (NEOs) at reasonable cost. The spacecraft will be referred to as the NEO Scout. NEO Scout spacecraft are to be placed in GTO, GEO, or cis-lunar space as secondary payloads on launch vehicles headed for GTO or beyond and will begin their mission after deployment from the launcher. A distinguishing key feature of the NEO scout system is to design the mission timeline and spacecraft to rendezvous with and land on the target NEOs during close approach to the Earth-Moon system using low-thrust/high- impulse propulsion systems. Mission feasibility and preliminary design analysis are presented along with detailed trajectory calculations. The use of micro/nano satellites in low-cost interplanetary exploration is attracting increasing attention and is the subject of several annual workshops and published design studies (1-4). The NEO population consists of those asteroids and short period comets orbiting the Sun with a perihelion of 1.3 astronomical units or less (5-8). As of July 30, 2013 10065 Near-Earth objects have been discovered. The spin rate, mass, density, surface physical (especially mechanical) properties, composition, and mineralogy of the vast majority of these objects are highly uncertain and the limited available telescopic remote sensing data imply a very diverse population (5-8). In-situ measurements by robotic spacecraft are urgently needed to provide the characterization data needed to support hardware and mission design for more ambitious human and robotic NEO operations. Large numbers of NEOs move into close proximity with the Earth-Moon system every year (9). The JPL Near-Earth Object Human Space Flight Accessible Targets Study (NHATS) (10) has produced detailed mission profile and delta V requirements for various NEO missions ranging from 30 to 420 days in duration and assuming chemical propulsion. Similar studies have been reported assuming high power electric propulsion for manned NEO rendezvous missions (11). The delta V requirement breakdown and mission profile data from references 10 and 11 are used as a basis for sizing the NEO Scout spacecraft and for conducting preliminary feasibility assessments using the Tsiokolvsky rocket equation, a (worst-case) delta V requirement of 10 km/sec, and a maximum spacecraft dry mass of 20 kg. Using chemical propellant for a 10 km/sec delta V drives spacecraft wet mass well above 300 kg so that chemical propulsion is a non-starter for the proposed mission profile and spacecraft wet mass limits. In contrast, a solar electric propulsion system needs only 8 kg of Xe propellant to accelerate the spacecraft to 10 km/sec in 163 days with 0.02 N of thrust and 500 W of power from1.6 sq m of 29% efficient solar panels. In a second example, accelerating a 4 kg payload to 7 km/sec over 180 days requires about 6.7 kg of propellant and 1.2 kg of solar panels (12 kg total spacecraft wet mass).

Koontz, Steven L.

Combining Solar Electric Propulsion and Chemical Propulsion for Crewed Missions to Mars

This paper documents the results of an investigation of human Mars mission architectures that leverage near-term technology investments and infrastructures resulting from the planned Asteroid Redirect Robotic Mission (ARRM), including high-power Solar Electric Propulsion (SEP) and a human presence in Lunar Distant Retrograde Orbit (LDRO). The architectures investigated use a combination of SEP and chemical propulsion elements. Through this combination of propulsion technologies, these architectures take advantage of the high efficiency SEP propulsion system to deliver cargo, while maintaining the faster trip times afforded by chemical propulsion for crew transport. Evolved configurations of the Asteroid Redirect Vehicle (ARV) are considered for cargo delivery. Sensitivities to SEP system design parameters, including power level and propellant quantity, are presented. For the crew delivery, liquid oxygen and methane stages were designed using engines common to future human Mars landers. Impacts of various Earth departure orbits, Mars loiter orbits, and Earth return strategies are presented. The use of the Space Launch System for delivery of the various architecture elements was also investigated and launch vehicle manifesting, launch scheduling and mission timelines are also discussed. The study results show that viable Mars architecture can be constructed using LDRO and SEP in order to take advantage of investments made in the ARRM mission.

Percy, Tom

Combining Solar Electric and Chemical Propulsion for Crewed Missions to Mars

This paper documents the results of an investigation of human Mars mission architectures that leverage near-term technology investments and infrastructures resulting from the planned Asteroid Redirect Mission, including high-power Solar Electric Propulsion (SEP) and a human presence in Lunar Distant Retrograde Orbit (LDRO). The architectures investigated use a combination of SEP and chemical propulsion elements. Through this combination of propulsion technologies, these architectures take advantage of the high efficiency SEP propulsion system to deliver cargo, while maintaining the faster trip times afforded by chemical propulsion for crew transport. Evolved configurations of the Asteroid Redirect Vehicle (ARV) are considered for cargo delivery. Sensitivities to SEP system design parameters, including power level and propellant quantity, are presented. For the crew delivery, liquid oxygen and methane stages were designed using engines common to future human Mars landers. Impacts of various Earth departure orbits, Mars loiter orbits, and Earth return strategies are presented. The use of the Space Launch System for delivery of the various architecture elements was also investigated and launch vehicle manifesting, launch scheduling and mission timelines are also discussed. The study results show that viable Mars architecture can be constructed using LDRO and SEP in order to take advantage of investments made in the ARM mission.

Percy, Tom

Far-field mission planning for nap-of-the-earth flight

In the face of numerically superior hostile forces, deployment of individual vehicles to the right place, at the right time, and the ability to plan missions with less conservatism, will become significant force multipliers. Far-field mission planning is one of the enabling technologies that will facilitate force coordination through management of mission timeline, vehicle survivability and fuel constraints. On-board replanning is required to deal responsively with departures from nominal plan execution that result from imperfect knowledge of and temporal variability in the mission environment. The far-field planning problem is posed as a constrained optimization problem and algorithms and structural organization are proposed for the solution.

Deutsch, Owen L.

The Integrated Medical Model: A Risk Assessment and Decision Support Tool for Space Flight Medical Systems

The Integrated Medical Model (IMM) is a decision support tool that is useful to mission planners and medical system designers in assessing risks and designing medical systems for space flight missions. The IMM provides an evidence based approach for optimizing medical resources and minimizing risks within space flight operational constraints. The mathematical relationships among mission and crew profiles, medical condition incidence data, in-flight medical resources, potential crew functional impairments, and clinical end-states are established to determine probable mission outcomes. Stochastic computational methods are used to forecast probability distributions of crew health and medical resource utilization, as well as estimates of medical evacuation and loss of crew life. The IMM has been used in support of the International Space Station (ISS) medical kit redesign, the medical component of the ISS Probabilistic Risk Assessment, and the development of the Constellation Medical Conditions List. The IMM also will be used to refine medical requirements for the Constellation program. The IMM outputs for ISS and Constellation design reference missions will be presented to demonstrate the potential of the IMM in assessing risks, planning missions, and designing medical systems. The implementation of the IMM verification and validation plan will be reviewed. Additional planned capabilities of the IMM, including optimization techniques and the inclusion of a mission timeline, will be discussed. Given the space flight constraints of mass, volume, and crew medical training, the IMM is a valuable risk assessment and decision support tool for medical system design and mission planning.

Kerstman, Eric

The Near Earth Object (NEO) Scout Spacecraft: A Low-cost Approach to In-situ Characterization of the NEO Population

This paper describes a microsatellite spacecraft with supporting mission profile and architecture, designed to enable preliminary in-situ characterization of a significant number of Near Earth Objects (NEOs) at reasonably low cost. The spacecraft will be referred to as the NEO-Scout. NEO-Scout spacecraft are to be placed in Geosynchronous Equatorial Orbit (GEO), cis-lunar space, or on earth escape trajectories as secondary payloads on launch vehicles headed for GEO or beyond, and will begin their mission after deployment from the launcher. A distinguishing key feature of the NEO-Scout system is to design the spacecraft and mission timeline so as to enable rendezvous with and landing on the target NEO during NEO close approach (<0.3 AU) to the Earth-Moon system using low-thrust/high-impulse propulsion systems. Mission durations are on the order 100 to 400 days. Mission feasibility and preliminary design analysis are presented, along with detailed trajectory calculations.

Woeppel, Eric A.

The Space Station Freedom evolution-phase - Crew-EVA demand for robotic substitution by task primitive

Space Station Freedom represents a significant demand for automation and robotics services as substitutes for crew EVAs. Results are reported from a study aimed at identifying the demand for crew EVA and the crew-task primitive distributions derived for input to future robotic substitution studies. Generic EVA tasks are developed from historical EVA mission timelines, and a set of 70 task primitives defined. The generic task activities are partitioned into task setup, kernel, and tear-down, with standardized task times and frequencies. These standardized times are coupled with inputs from numerous mission data bases in a probabilistic simulation to obtain estimates of total crew-EVA task time demand by crew task primitive. The use of probabilistic model is found to be crucial for understanding, isolating, and addressing the large uncertainties in the EVA task kernels.

Smith, Jeffrey H.

Mission planning for Shuttle Imaging Radar-C (SIR-C) with a real-time interactive planning software

The Shuttle Imaging Radar-C (SIR-C) mission will operate from the payload bay of the space shuttle for 8 days, gathering Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data over specific sites on the Earth. The short duration of the mission and the requirement for realtime planning offer challenges in mission planning and in the design of the Planning and Analysis Subsystem (PAS). The PAS generates shuttle ephemerides and mission planning data and provides an interactive real-time tool for quick mission replanning. It offers a multi-user and multiprocessing environment, and it is able to keep multiple versions of the mission timeline data while maintaining data integrity and security. Its flexible design allows one software to provide different menu options based on the user's operational function, and makes it easy to tailor the software for other Earth orbiting missions.

Potts, Su K.

Development of Logistics for Building Radiation Storm Shelters and Their Operational Evaluation

Over the past three years NASA has been studying the operational effectiveness and astronaut protection efficacy of numerous radiation protection shelters for use in space exploration activities outside of earth's magnetosphere. The work presented was part of NASA's Advanced Exploration Systems (AES) RadWorks Storm Shelter project. This paper is a summary of the concept development activities of this third year. Fabricated items were integrated into mock up deep space habitat vehicle sections for operational evaluations. Two full scale human-in-loop simulations were designed, fabricated, and implemented through an Institutional Review Board approved solicited participant assessment process. Fabricated items are described, along with usage scenarios of two protection approaches. Existing ISS type logistics along with proposed variations of those logistics were used. Preliminary Discrete Event Simulation (DES) work is noted to be useful in quantifying and documenting operational performance measures for the two primary shelter methods, including some characterization of radiation dose accumulation over a mission timeline. The project also performed correlation analyses between effective radiation dose and the Risk of Exposure Induced Death (REID) to show that concept level work may be able to include such a performance metric in early stages of mission scenario habitat design trade space investigation.

Cerro, Jeffrey A.

ISS Live!

International Space Station Live! (ISSLive!) is a Web application that uses a proprietary commercial technology called Lightstreamer to push data across the Internet using the standard http port (port 80). ISSLive! uses the push technology to display real-time telemetry and mission timeline data from the space station in any common Web browser or Internet- enabled mobile device. ISSLive! is designed to fill a unique niche in the education and outreach areas by providing access to real-time space station data without a physical presence in the mission control center. The technology conforms to Internet standards, supports the throughput needed for real-time space station data, and is flexible enough to work on a large number of Internet-enabled devices. ISSLive! consists of two custom components: (1) a series of data adapters that resides server-side in the mission control center at Johnson Space Center, and (2) a set of public html that renders the data pushed from the data adapters. A third component, the Lightstreamer server, is commercially available from a third party and acts as an intermediary between custom components (1) and (2). Lightstreamer also provides proprietary software libraries that are required to use the custom components. At the time of this reporting, this is the first usage of Web-based, push streaming technology in the aerospace industry.

Price, Jennifer

Ion Propulsion for Solar System Exploration

NASA's Evolutionary Xenon Thruster (NEXT) is ready for transition-to-flight. The thruster has completed all qualification-level environmental testing, and has demonstrated a xenon propellant throughput, total impulse, and total operating hours greatly in excess of anticipated planetary science mission requirements, and exceeding that achieved by any other thruster technology in the history of electric propulsion. NEXT is the next generation system, a natural progression in technology from that implemented successfully on the Deep-Space one and Dawn missions, developed at NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio. The first implementation of NEXT will be on NASA 's Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART). DART will be the first demonstration of the kinetic impact technique to change the motion of an asteroid in space. The DART mission is in Phase C, led by Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. The DART spacecraft will utilize the NASA Evolutionary Xenon Thruster solar electric propulsion system as its primary in-space propulsion system. By utilizing NEXT, DART is able to gain significant flexibility to the mission timeline and launch window, as well as decrease in launch vehicle cost. This presentation will review NASA's investment strategy in electric propulsion _ in particular gridded ion thruster technology _ as it applies to solar system exploration. Results obtained from implementing this technology on Deep-Space one and Dawn will be reviewed. Mission studies which highlight the impacts of the NEXT technology will be discussed, and near-term proposed and scheduled missions including DART and CAESAR (Comet Astrobiology Exploration Sample Return) will be reviewed.

Electric Propulsion

Estimating the Need for Medical Intervention due to Sleep Disruption on the International Space Station

During ISS and shuttle missions, difficulties with sleep affect more than half of all US crews. Mitigation strategies to help astronauts cope with the challenges of disrupted sleep patterns can negatively impact both mission planning and vehicle design. The methods for addressing known detrimental impacts for some mission scenarios may have a substantial impact on vehicle specific consumable mass or volume or on the mission timeline. As part of the Integrated Medical Model (IMM) task, NASA Glenn Research Center is leading the development of a Monte Carlo based forecasting tool designed to determine the consumables required to address risks related to sleep disruption. The model currently focuses on the International Space Station and uses an algorithm that assembles representative mission schedules and feeds this into a well validated model that predicts relative levels of performance, and need for sleep (SAFTE Model, IBR Inc). Correlation of the resulting output to self-diagnosed needs for hypnotics, stimulants, and other pharmaceutical countermeasures, allows prediction of pharmaceutical use and the uncertainty of the specified prediction. This paper outlines a conceptual model for determining a rate of pharmaceutical utilization that can be used in the IMM model for comparison and optimization of mitigation methods with respect to all other significant medical needs and interventions.

Myers, Jerry G.

Navigation Performance Overview of Gateway During a Lunar Lander Mission

Starting with Artemis IV, the human lander system (HLS) missions will utilize the Gateway as a staging point in a near rectilinear halo orbit (NRHO) between cislunar space and the lunar surface. The presence of a crew, Orion, and HLS will cause significant perturbations from docking and venting, while attitude requirements on Gateway can cause structural antenna blockage. The HLS mission timeline and perturbations are simulated considering antenna blockage to ground stations. Simulated DSN tracking data is generated and processed to produce a navigation state estimate for orbit maintenance maneuver (OMM) targeting. The starting epoch is varied to adjust tracking availability, and the volume of tracking data processed is reduced. Separately, the observability of perturbations in the NRHO with two-way tracking data is analyzed. The mission is simulated with imperfect knowledge of venting perturbations, and finally the estimation errors from propagating an estimated state from data cutoff (DCO) to maneuvers are investigated.

Clark P Newman

New Worlds Observer Formation Control Design Based on the Dynamics of Relative Motion

The New Worlds Observer (NWO) mission is designed for the direct detection and characterization of extrasolar planets. The NWO mission concept employs a two spacecraft leader-follower formation on a trajectory around the Earth/Moon-Sun L(sub 2) Libration Point. The leader spacecraft is baselined as a 4 meter optical telescope. The follower, Starshade spacecraft, is designed to suppress light from a central body star permitting direct detection of a surrounding exoplanetary system. The current design requires a nominal leader-follower separation range of 72 Megameters. NWO poses many challenges including formation control. NWO cycles between three principal control modes during the nominal mission timeline: science (fine pointing), realignment and transition. This paper examines formation control strategies in the context of dynamics of relative motion for two spacecraft operating in the vicinity of the Earth/Moon-Sun L(sub 2)libration point. The paper presents an overview of the equations of relative motion followed by a discussion of each of the control modes. Discussion and analysis characterize control strategies for each of the mission control modes, including requirements, implementation challenges and project fuel budgets.

Luquette, Richard J.

Resource Prospector Instrumentation for Lunar Volatiles Prospecting, Sample Acquisition and Processing

Data gathered from lunar missions within the last two decades have significantly enhanced our understanding of the volatile resources available on the lunar surface, specifically focusing on the polar regions. Several orbiting missions such as Clementine and Lunar Prospector have suggested the presence of volatile ices and enhanced hydrogen concentrations in the permanently shadowed regions of the moon. The Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) mission was the first to provide direct measurement of water ice in a permanently shadowed region. These missions with other orbiting assets have laid the groundwork for the next step in the exploration of the lunar surface; providing ground truth data of the volatiles by mapping the distribution and processing lunar regolith for resource extraction. This next step is the robotic mission Resource Prospector (RP). Resource Prospector is a lunar mission to investigate 'strategic knowledge gaps' (SKGs) for in-situ resource utilization (ISRU). The mission is proposed to land in the lunar south pole near a permanently shadowed crater. The landing site will be determined by the science team with input from broader international community as being near traversable landscape that has a high potential of containing elevated concentrations of volatiles such as water while maximizing mission duration. A rover will host the Regolith & Environment Science and Oxygen & Lunar Volatile Extraction (RESOLVE) payload for resource mapping and processing. The science instruments on the payload include a 1-meter drill, neutron spectrometer, a near infrared spectrometer, an operations camera, and a reactor with a gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer for volatile analysis. After the RP lander safely delivers the rover to the lunar surface, the science team will guide the rover team on the first traverse plan. The neutron spectrometer (NS) and near infrared (NIR) spectrometer instruments will be used as prospecting tools to guide the traverse path. The NS will map the water-equivalent hydrogen concentration as low as 0.5% by weight to an 80 centimeter depth as the rover traverses the lunar landscape. The NIR spectrometer will measure surficial H2O/OH as well as general mineralogy. When the prospecting instruments identify a potential volatile-rich area during the course of a traverse, the prospect is then mapped out and the most promising location identified. An augering drill capable of sampling to a depth of 100 centimeters will excavate regolith for analysis. A quick assay of the drill cuttings will be made using an operations camera and NIR spectrometer. With the water depth confirmed by this first auguring activity, a regolith sample may be extracted for processing. The drill will deliver the regolith sample to a crucible that will be sealed and heated. Evolved volatiles will be measured by a gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer and the water will be captured and photographed. RP is a solar powered mission, which given the polar location translates to a relatively short mission duration on the order of 4-15 days. This short mission duration drives the concept of operations, instrumentation, and data analysis towards critical real time analysis and decision support. Previous payload field tests have increased the fidelity of the hardware, software, and mission operations. Current activities include a mission level field test to optimize interfaces between the payload and rover as well as better understand the interaction of the science and rover teams during the mission timeline. This paper will include the current status of the science instruments on the payload as well as the integrated field test occurring in fall of 2015. The concept of operations will be discussed, including the real time science and engineering decision-making process based on the critical data from the instrumentation. The path to flight will be discussed with the approach to this ambitious low cost mission.

ISRU

Space Radiation Technologies for Human Missions beyond Low-Earth-Orbit

Ionizing radiation exposure is a pervasive occupational risk to astronauts and remains a major health risk associated with human exploration beyond low-Earth-orbit. Sustained lunar and Mars exploration crew will be at increased risk of radiogenic cancers and cardiovascular disease, as well as, the potential for in-mission performance decrements, immune system decrements, and late neurodegenerative conditions impacting crew health. Optimizing astronaut space radiation protection will incorporate both physical and biological radiological aspects and will implement protection strategies that span pre-mission, in-flight, and post mission timelines. Major facets of physical risk mitigation include accuracy in predicting the space radiation solar environment, monitoring environmental and human exposures, and minimizing exposure through vehicle shielding and design. Biological mitigation facets include understanding and predicting biological response to the space environment, developing advanced medical countermeasures, and identifying appropriate surveillance strategies to preserve long-term health. Coordinated investments in these major capability areas will support development of an integrated radiation protection solution to minimize astronaut risk for moon to Mars exploration missions.

Lisa C Simonsen

Internal Electrostatic Discharge Testing of Inert Solid Rocket Motor Materials

Jupiter’s moon Europa is believed to have a global liquid-water ocean beneath its icy surface. As such, it is a highly interesting destination for explorers seeking signs of life outside of Earth. This interest has given rise to the Europa Lander Mission [Hand, et al., 2017]. The central goal of the Europa Lander Mission is to place a stationary lander on Europa and make surface and sub-surface measurements, dramatically improving understanding of this Jovian moon, and potentially detecting signs of life.Placing a lander on Europa will require multiple spacecraft elements deployed across a multi-year mission timeline. Some of the key elements include: a large payload capacity rocket, such as the Space Launch System (SLS), capable of providing direct Jupiter orbit insertion; a solar-powered carrier; a de-orbit system; a sky crane landing system; and, of course, the surface lander. A noteworthy fact is that the current design requires a large solid rocket motor to provide the necessary braking thrust for the de-orbit stage. While solid rocket motors have been used extensively by NASA during launch, in-space use has been limited. In addition to the normal challenges associated with a long-distance planetary mission, the Europa Lander Mission must also contend with the high-radiation environment associated with the Jovian system. The size of Jupiter, combined with its magnetic field strength, and rotation speed, result in a harsh radiation environment composed of high energy charged particles (ions and electrons) as well as high-temperature plasmas [de Soria-Santacruz Pich, 2016]. Due to this high-radiation environment, each component of the Europa Lander spacecraft must be evaluated to determine its radiation dose tolerance and its likelihood for experiencing electrostatic charging (and discharging). In general, metal components in a Jovian environment do not pose a concern for radiation degradation; in fact, metal structures and closeouts can act as radiation shielding for the more sensitive components. Charging of a metal component is only an issue if the component is not properly grounded to the spacecraft chassis. However, electrically insulating materials, such as polymers, are subject to radiation degradation as well as surface and internal charging, and therefore require extra scrutiny. The focus of this paper will be on the insulating materials that are commonly used inside solid rocket motors. The special application of a solid rocket motor used in space after a relatively long duration flight, combined with the high energy electron environment in the Jovian system, raises concerns about the possibility of significant charging and discharging leading to reduced performance.

Schneider, Todd A.

Simulation of the Effect of Realistic Space Vehicle Environments on Binary Metal Alloys

Simulations that assess the effect of space vehicle acceleration environments on the solidification of Pb-Sb alloys are reported. Space microgravity missions are designed to provide a near zero-g acceleration environment for various types of scientific experiments. Realistically. these space missions cannot provide a perfect environment. Vibrations caused by crew activity, on-board experiments, support systems stems (pumps, fans, etc.), periodic orbital maneuvers, and water dumps can all cause perturbations to the microgravity environment. In addition, the drag on the space vehicle is a source of acceleration. Therefore, it is necessary to predict the impact of these vibration-perturbations and the steady-state drag acceleration on the experiments. These predictions can be used to design mission timelines. so that the experiment is run during times that the impact of the acceleration environment is acceptable for the experiment of interest. The simulations reported herein were conducted using a finite element model that includes mass, species, momentum, and energy conservation. This model predicts the existence of "channels" within the processing mushy zone and subsequently "freckles" within the fully processed solid, which are the effects of thermosolutal convection. It is necessary to mitigate thermosolutal convection during space experiments of metal alloys, in order to study and characterize diffusion-controlled transport phenomena (microsegregation) that are normally coupled with macrosegregation. The model allows simulation of steady-state and transient acceleration values ranging from no acceleration (0 g). to microgravity conditions (10(exp -6) to 10(exp -3) g), to terrestrial gravity conditions (1 g). The transient acceleration environments simulated were from the STS-89 SpaceHAB mission and from the STS-94 SpaceLAB mission. with on-orbit accelerometer data during different mission periods used as inputs for the simulation model. Periods of crew exercise, quiet (no crew activity), and nominal conditions from STS-89 were used as simulation inputs as were periods of nominal. overboard water-dump, and free-drift (no orbit maneuvering operations) from STS-94. Steady-state acceleration environments of 0.0 and 10(exp -6) to 10(exp -1) g were also simulated, to serve as a comparison to the transient data and to assess an acceptable magnitude for the steady-state vehicle drag

Westra, Douglas G.