Dynamical and compositional assessment of near‐Earth object mission targets

Binzel, Richard P.; Perozzi, E.; Rivkin, A. S.; Rossi, Alessandro; Harris, Alan W.; Bus, S. J.; Valsecchi, G. B.; Slivan, Stephen M.

doi:10.1111/j.1945-5100.2004.tb00098.x

Cited by 75 publications

(45 citation statements)

References 32 publications

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“…The shortlist was analysed in detail and 7 targets were selected by the mission study team in order to satisfy the primary mission objective of characterising the physical/chemical properties of different types of NEO in order priority interest. These 7 target objects are summarised in Table 2, and are similar to those proposed by other authors 6,7 . The bottom two asteroids (in grey) are considered as secondary reserve targets.…”

Section: Rendezvous Targetssupporting

confidence: 68%

SIMONE: Interplanetary microsatellites for NEO rendezvous missions

et al. 2006

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The paper summarises a novel mission concept called SIMONE (Smallsat Intercept Missions to Objects Near Earth), whereby a fleet of microsatellites may be deployed to individually rendezvous with a number of Near Earth Objects (NEOs), at very low cost. The mission enables, for the first time, the diverse properties of a range of spectral and physical type NEOs to be determined. Such data are invaluable in the NEO scientific, impact damage prediction, and impact countermeasure planning contexts. The five identical 120kg spacecraft are designed for low-cost piggyback launch on the Ariane-5 into GTO, from where each uses a high specific impulse gridded-ion engine to escape Earth gravity and ultimately to rendezvous with a different NEO target. The primary challenge with such a mission is the ability to accommodate the necessary electric propulsion, power, payload and other onboard systems within the severe constraints of a microsatellite. The paper describes the way in which the latest technological advancements and innovations have been selected and applied to the mission design. The SIMONE design is feasible and offers a highly cost-effective mission, which is applicable to other solar system science/exploration objectives. SIMONE clearly demonstrates that the concept of an "interplanetary microsatellite" is now realisable.

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Section: Rendezvous Targetssupporting

confidence: 68%

SIMONE: Interplanetary microsatellites for NEO rendezvous missions

et al. 2006

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“…Indeed, some near-Earth asteroids (NEAs) are easier to reach than the Moon. The energy and flight time required to reach the NEA (10302) 1989 ML are relatively small, comparable to those for the Hayabusa target (25143) Itokawa (Perozzi et al, 2001;Christou 2003;Binzel et al, 2004), making it a very attractive spacecraft target for rendezvous missions. 1989 ML has been considered as a possible target for both the Japanese Hayabusa and the European Don Quijote missions (see, for example, Binzel et al, 2001, and http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/NEO/); at the time of writing further missions to NEAs are being planned in Japan, Europe, and the USA, for which 1989 ML may be considered as a target.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Size, albedo, and taxonomic type of potential spacecraft target Asteroid (10302) 1989 ML

Mueller¹,

Harris²,

Fitzsimmons

2007

Icarus

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The Amor-type near-Earth asteroid (10302) 1989 ML has an "Earth-like" orbit (period 1.44 yr, eccentricity 0.14, inclination 4.4°), therefore the energy required to reach it from the Earth is relatively small making it a very attractive target for rendezvous missions. We have observed 1989 ML in the thermal-infrared using the Spitzer Space Telescope, and compared these data with optical and near-infrared observations. The Spitzer results imply a diameter of 0.28 ± 0.05 km and a geometric albedo of 0.37 ± 0.15; together with the reflectance spectrum they are consistent with the relatively rare E classification.

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“…Asteroid 1996 FG3 was identified as a good target for a space mission, as its orbit presents a ΔV of only 5.16 km s −1 (Perozzi et al 2001;Christou 2003;Binzel et al 2004b). Its primitive physical and binary nature also makes this asteroid an interesting target for a scientific rendezvous mission, thus it was chosen as a primary target for the new ESA Marco Polo-R mission, selected for the assessment study phase of ESA M3 missions.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

New observations of asteroid (175706) 1996 FG3, primary target of the ESAMarco Polo-R mission

León

Mothé-Diniz

Licandro

et al. 2011

A&A

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Context. Near-Earth asteroid (175706) 1996 FG3 is the primary target of the ESA Marco Polo-R mission, which was selected for the assessment study phase of ESA M3 missions. This is a primitive (C-type), binary asteroid that will allow new research to be performed. The primary is a rapidly rotating (3.6 h) small asteroid (1.4 km diameter) that is almost spherical and has a satellite of ∼400 m. Aims. We analyse new ground-based spectroscopic data of 1996 FG3 to help us characterise its surface composition and prepare for the mission. Methods. We obtained a near-infrared spectrum covering the range 0.8-2.5 μm, using the camera-spectrograph NICS at the 3.6 m telescope TNG (Telescopio Nazionale Galileo), located at "El Roque de los Muchachos" Observatory on La Palma, Spain. We combine our near-infrared spectrum with previously published data, and compare all the available spectra of this asteroid with the spectra of meteorites to constrain the mineralogy of the asteroid. Results. Our spectrum of FG3 differs remarkably from previously published ones. Spectral classification performed using the complete visible and near-infrared range yields more than one result, varying from C to Xk types. However, all the possible spectral types indicate that this asteroid is a primitive object. The comparison with meteorites behaves in the same way, providing several good matches to our new near-infrared spectrum (CM2 carbonaceous chondrite, and L6 and H4 ordinary chondrites), and only one match in the case of the previously published spectra (weakly shocked H4 ordinary chondrite, dark vein). The albedo of the asteroid (∼0.04), is typical of a primitive object, and is consistent with the reflectance value at 0.55 μm of the CM2 carbonaceous chondrite. Further observations will be essential to help us characterise more clearly the mineralogy of this asteroid.

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Dynamical and compositional assessment of near‐Earth object mission targets

Cited by 75 publications

References 32 publications

SIMONE: Interplanetary microsatellites for NEO rendezvous missions

SIMONE: Interplanetary microsatellites for NEO rendezvous missions

Size, albedo, and taxonomic type of potential spacecraft target Asteroid (10302) 1989 ML

New observations of asteroid (175706) 1996 FG3, primary target of the ESAMarco Polo-R mission

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