Osiris-REx-II and NEO Scout-II joint operations with ARM (asteroid redirect mission)

Osiris-REx-II and NEO Scout-II joint operations with ARM (asteroid redirect mission)

and sunjammer has been canceled 

Proposed conops,

(A)(1) ARM flies after Osiris-REx has departed its target or has stopped operating so a second is built

(A)(2) this Osiris-REx-II has a grapple point

(A)(3) The Orion translation boom is flown on the ARM instead with the ability to grapple Osiris-REx-II at asteroid departure

(A)(4) Osiris-REx-II assist ARM with visual observations of the ARM asteroid approach and capture

(A)(5) ARM would grapple Osiris-REx-II at asteroid departure/capture and transport the spacecraft to the vicinity of a second asteroid and released.*** This is the chosen option

(A)(6) Arm or OSIRIS-REx needs the Electra radio

secondary alternative,

(B)(1) NEO Scout-II performs the above mission along with the ARM mission

(B)(2) build a copy of NEO scout or fly the first NEO scout  for joint operations with ARM

(B)(3) ARM needs the electra space communications system to communicate with NEO Scout

Both A  and B above most likely involve Osiris-REx and or NEO Scout arriving first to verify asteroid characteristics  and rotation rates to better inform suitability for ARM

Third alternative

Osiris-REx  and   NEO Scout joint operations proposal

(C)(1) Fly the approved  Osiris-REx mission with a Electra radio on board and formation fly with a   no more than .5 AU distance with NEO scout to the same target or possibly two targets

(C)(2) At earth departure NEO Scout leaves first, design a trajectory for a later launch of OSIRIS-REX that zigzags ahead of and behind NEO Scout or vice versa by a million kilometers when NEO Scout exceeds .5 AU. Electra radio should work well enough at 600,000 kilometers so that  this range is met occasionally but does not have to be constantly maintained

Challenges;

AR&D between these spacecraft with the boom and transport to another target  (A)(1) through (A)(5)

Osiris-REx on a ballistic trajectory with chemical engine TMI and the NEO Scout solar Sail tracking the solar wind need to keep with in 500,000 K for communications, unless with in .5 AU of earth (B)(1) through (B)(3).Can a NEO scout/ solar sail follow ion powered ARM to a send target and stay with in range of Electra?

 

according to this IAC paper by Friedman et al I am reporting that Sunjammer solar sail mission has been canceled  *

The Friedman paper reports that a Sunjammer solar sail with a 20 Kg payload could yield; “yield an A/m> 100 m2 /kg” (Sunjammer now has 20 m2/kg do to a larger payload)The NEO Scout on the other hand is a 6U 12 Kg cubesat, this comes to 8.0 A/m m2/kg with its 27 M per side solar sail.Sunjammers solar sail is 37 M per side.

But what if a future NEO Scout cubesat could deploy some solar sail intermediate in size to that of Scout and Sunjammer? perhaps then Sunjammer might still be in the running using stepping stone missions along the way

 

* IAC-2014-Manuscript

552572main_OSIRIS_REx_Factsheet

IAC-14-A5_3-B3_6_7x26388_Brophy

0930_Thu_Castillo_NEAScout (1)

Descanso9_Full_rev

IAC-14-D3-Mazanek

 

 

EDIT 20 December 2014

Please note that having the ARM spacecraft grapple another spacecraft and deliver it to another target more closely adheres to the requirements of the decade survey,     SBAG_ARM_SAT_07_30_14 (1)  I quote,“Characterizing and returning a sample from an asteroid not already, or planned to be,

sampled is of higher science priority than characterizing and returning a sample from
one that has been”  And another statement,  “Support of
ARM with planetary science resources is not appropriate”

My opinion is that having ARM partially funded by the science mission directorate at less than 1/3   makes sense only if the ARM delivers  SMD spacecraft to another different target

 

 

Mission design  unplugged 🙂

ARM spacecraft bus replace bag with a modified payload fairing that when opened deploys a Kevlar blanket  in a great circle that has a foamed aerogel surface.If the payload fairing is 15 meters long then

 

 

Osiris-REx-II and NEO Scout-II joint operations with ARM (asteroid redirect mission)