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  • System Design of Marco Polo an Asteroid Sample Return Mission

    Paper number

    IAC-09.A3.I.7

    Author

    Mrs. Marie-Claire Perkinson, EADS Astrium Ltd., United Kingdom

    Coauthor

    Dr. Christian Jentsch, Astrium GmbH, Germany

    Coauthor

    Mr. Thierry Salmon, EADS SPACE Transportation, France

    Coauthor

    Dr. Pier Giovanni Magnani, Galileo Avionica S.p.A., Italy

    Coauthor

    Dr. David Agnolon, The Netherlands

    Year

    2009

    Abstract
    Marco Polo is a Near Earth Asteroid Sample Return Mission which is currently under consideration as a joint mission by the European Space Agency within the Cosmic Vision programme and by the Japanese Space Exploration Agency. Asteroids are of great interest because they can provide invaluable insight into the history and formation of the solar system. Study and knowledge of their properties is also vital for the mitigation of any Earth impact threat. Near Earth Asteroids (NEA) are among the most easily accessible objects in the solar system and therefore natural candidates for a cost effective sample return mission.
    The key scientific objective of Marco Polo is to return some pristine unaltered asteroid material. In addition remote sensing instruments are used to characterise the mass properties, geometry and topology of the asteroid, to select the landing site, and to provide contextual information on the sampling site. The exact mission strategy and profile are under discussion between ESA and JAXA, therefore, technical and science aspects, such as mass and number of samples, sampling strategy, etc. which are still under consolidation will be defined in the final paper. 
    The baseline mission design is a cost-efficient short duration (<6 years) mission to the C-type asteroid 1999JU3 launched on Soyuz Fregat. Both electrical and chemical propulsion are under investigation for the outbound and return transfers. After the rendezvous with the asteroid the spacecraft performs global characterisation, gravity field assessment, close up imaging of the candidate landing sites, landing rehearsals and up to 5 landing attempts. The sample is collected during a short landing or touchdown period, sealed in the sample container to prevent contamination and transferred to the Earth Re-Entry Capsule (ERC). After the return transfer to Earth the ERC is ejected and delivers the sample container safely to the ground through a spin stabilised hyperbolic trajectory.
    This paper presents the design of the ESA elements for a mission to 1999JU3 which has been defined in the recent Astrium-led mission assessment study.
    
    Abstract document

    IAC-09.A3.I.7.pdf

    Manuscript document

    (absent)