The Italian possible participation in the NASA Asteroid Redirect Mission (ARM): an update
- Paper number
IAC-17,B3,IP,4,x37289
- Author
Mr. Marco Tantardini, Italian Space Agency (ASI), Italy
- Coauthor
Prof. Enrico Flamini, Italian Space Agency (ASI), Italy
- Coauthor
Dr. Gabriele Mascetti, Italian Space Agency (ASI), Italy
- Coauthor
Dr. Raffaele Mugnuolo, ASI - Italian Space Agency, Italy
- Coauthor
Prof. Fabrizio Capaccioni, Institute for Space Astrophysics and Planetology (IAPS), Italy
- Coauthor
Prof. Lorenzo Casalino, Politecnico di Torino, Italy
- Coauthor
Prof. Gabriele Cremonese, INAF - Osservatorio astronomico di Padova, Italy
- Coauthor
Dr. Gianrico Filacchione, INAF-IAPS, Italy
- Coauthor
Prof. Michèle Lavagna, Politecnico di Milano, Italy
- Coauthor
Dr. Marco Mastrogiuseppe, Italy
- Coauthor
Dr. Giampiero Naletto, University of Padova, Italy
- Coauthor
Dr. Emanuele Simioni, Italy
- Coauthor
Dr. Roberto Trucco, ALTEC, Italy
- Coauthor
Dr. Marilena Amoroso, ASI - Italian Space Agency, Italy
- Year
2017
- Abstract
As part of its Journey to Mars strategy, NASA announced the Asteroid Redirect Mission (ARM) program, composed of the Asteroid Redirect Robotic Mission (ARRM) first and then the Asteroid Redirect Crew Mission (ARCM). In the ARRM the Asteroid Redirect Vehicle (ARV), powered by advanced Solar Electric Propulsion (SEP), is deployed to rendezvous with a large NEO, being 2008 EV5 the current reference asteroid target. The ARV will characterize the asteroid, descend, and capture a boulder from the asteroid surface. Once the boulder is captured, the ARV will perform a planetary defense test, by applying the enhanced gravity tractor technique, and then fly back towards Earth to take the boulder in a stable Lunar Distant Retrograde Orbit (DRO), as the DRO that Orion, launched on SLS, will target in Exploration Mission 1 (EM-1) scheduled for 2018. In May 2016 NASA and the Italian Space Agency (ASI) announced the agreement to conduct a joint feasibility study on potential cooperation opportunities during the robotic segment of NASA’s Asteroid Redirect Mission (ARM), ARRM. Options include payloads and instruments to be accommodated on the ARV (such as a stereo camera and VIS-NIR spectrometer dedicated to the asteroid surface and asteroid boulder characterization, and a sounding radar to study the internal structure of the asteroid), and trajectory analysis to provide low thrust trajectory analysis of ARRM. This paper will give an update on the ASI activity connected to ARM in general and with special focus on ARRM.
- Abstract document
- Manuscript document
(absent)