Science Opportunities Enabled by NASA's Constellation System Interim Report (2008) / Chapter Skim
Currently Skimming:
2 Analysis of Vision Mission Studies
2 Analysis of Vision Mission Studies
Pages 11-47
The Chapter Skim interface presents what we've algorithmically identified as the most significant single chunk of text within every page in the chapter.
Select key terms on the right to highlight them within pages of the chapter.
From page 11... ...
most deserving of future study. For this interim report, the committee chose to consider both the Vision Mission final reports and the presentations to the committee during its February 2008 meeting.
|
From page 12... ...
Additionally, gamma rays from accretion of matter onto galactic compact 1 ACT, Advanced Compton Telescope: Witness to the Fires of Creation, NASA Vision Mission Concept Study Report, December 2005, available at ; Jim Kurfess, "The Advanced Compton Telescope Mission," presentation to the Committee on Science Opportunities Enabled by NASA's Constellation System, February 2008. 2 The original Compton Gamma Ray Observatory (CGRO)
|
From page 13... ...
COMPTEL ACT Supernovae 1 100-200 Active galactic nuclei 15 200-500 and blazars Galactic 23 300-500 Gamma-ray bursts 31 1000-1500 Novae 0 25-50 NOTE: ACT, Advanced Compton Telescope; COMPTEL, Compton Telescope on CGRO. SOURCE: ACT, Advanced Compton Telescope: Witness to the Fires of Creation, NASA Vision Mission Concept Study Report, December 2005, available at http://arxiv.org/ftp/astro-ph/papers/0608/0608532.pdf , p.
|
From page 14... ...
The European Space Agency's Ariane V could provide a low-altitude, nearequatorial-orbit minimizing background, therefore making this a potentially attractive mission for international cooperation. General Cost Category in Which This Mission Concept Is Likely to Fall The ACT study team estimates an ACT mission cost of ~$760 million in FY 2004 dollars.
|
From page 15... ...
Brissenden, "The Generation-X Vision Mission," presentation to the Committee on Science Opportunities Enabled by NASA's Constellation System, February 21, 2008. 5 National Research Council, Astronomy and Astrophysics in the New Millennium, National Academy Press, Washington, D.C., 2001.
|
From page 16... ...
Gen-X has a 50 m2 collecting area and uses thin foils with active control of shape to reduce the mass. The Ares V launch vehicle would simplify the mission concept because of the large payload fairing and mass to L2 capability.
|
From page 17... ...
," presentation to the Committee on Science Opportunities Enabled by NASA's Constellation System, February 20, 2008.
|
From page 18... ...
There are a variety of novel uses of far infrared observations to study the interstellar medium and other circumstellar regions that highlight the importance of this wavelength region to understand how the interstellar medium behaves and takes part in the life cycle of new stars and planets. The key science objectives as outlined in the proposal are: • Probe the earliest epochs of metal enrichment and see the galaxy-forming universe before metals are created.
|
From page 19... ...
However, if JWST proves to pose major design challenges, then large telescopes such as SAFIR could potentially benefit from having a larger shroud on a more capable launch vehicle, easing packaging and integration of the telescope. Should This Concept Be Studied Further as a Constellation-Enabled Science Mission?
|
From page 20... ...
10 M Harwit et al., Kilometer-Baseline Far-Infrared/Submillimeter Interferometer, Vision Mission Final Report, May 2005; "A Kilometer-Baseline Far-Infrared/Submillimeter Interferometer in Space: Submillimeter Probe of the Evolution of Cosmic Structure, SPECS," presentation to the Committee on Science Opportunities Enabled by NASA's Constellation System, February 2008.
|
From page 21... ...
Sensitive far infrared observations at the resolution provided by a kilometer-baseline interferometer will be both essential and unique for solving a wide suite of astrophysical problems. It is for this reason that the 2000 astronomy and astrophysics decadal survey11 ranked far infrared space telescopes very highly, and the scientific case for these capabilities will remain strong and uncompromised for the foreseeable future.
|
From page 22... ...
The approach adopted in this Vision Mission concept is one reasonable choice among several. It appears technically feasible only after considerable investment to develop space hardware as outlined above.
|
From page 23... ...
12 J Green et al., The Modern Universe Space Telescope: A Vision Mission Concept Study for a Large UVOptical Space Telescope; J
|
From page 24... ...
Characteristics of the Mission Concept as Developed to Date The general science goals and observing concepts for a base mission of MUST are fairly mature at this time in most areas. This mission will be a "next-generation Hubble Space Telescope" in many ways.
|
From page 25... ...
The MUST mission concept is worthy of further study as a Constellation-enabled science mission. The robotic assembly technique proposed in this mission concept could be simplified, enhanced, or eliminated with the capabilities of the Constellation System, particularly a launch vehicle with a larger shroud diameter.
|
From page 26... ...
Carpenter, "Stellar Imager (SI) : Revealing Our Universe at High Resolution," presentation to the Committee on Science Opportunities Enabled by NASA's Constellation System, February 20, 2008.
|
From page 27... ...
Relative Technical Feasibility of the Mission Concept The Stellar Imager is a technically challenging mission but one that is a natural follow-on to ground-based (e.g., Center for High Angular Resolution Astronomy [CHARA] , ESO Very Large Telescope Interferometer [VLTI]
|
From page 28... ...
would be possible with a single Ares V launch vehicle, but it is currently not possible to estimate cost. As discussed above, SI is technically challenging and as such, the initial cost estimate is likely to be too low.
|
From page 29... ...
HELIOPHYSICS VISION MISSIONS Interstellar Probe15 FIGURE 2.7 Illustration of one possible Interstellar Probe configuration during its flyby of Jupiter. SOURCE: Reprinted with permission of the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory.
|
From page 30... ...
To reach interstellar space in a reasonable amount of time will require a spacecraft with unprecedented propulsion capability. The initial NASA-funded Vision Mission concept studies included two implementations of the Interstellar Probe, one utilizing nuclear reactor technology (Zurbuchen et al.)
|
From page 31... ...
Four options were considered: conventional, nuclear reactor electric, radioisotope electric, and solar sail. Given the current lack of technology development programs for nuclear propulsion and for solar sails, the conventional propulsion or the REP provide the most mature mission concepts.
|
From page 32... ...
19 P.C. Liewer et al., Solar Polar Imager: Observing Solar Activity from a New Perspective, Vision Mission Study Final Report, December 2005; "Solar Polar Imager: Observing Solar Activity from a New Perspective," presentation to the Committee on Science Opportunities Enabled by NASA's Constellation System, February 2008.
|
From page 33... ...
spectrograph, a magnetometer, a solar wind ion composition and electron spectrometer, and an energetic-particle instrument. In the original Vision Mission study, the spacecraft used a Delta IV launch vehicle and required 6.7 years of flight time to reach its science orbit.
|
From page 34... ...
The telemetry assumes X-band and a new Deep Space Network using 180 twelve-meter-diameter antennas, although SPI could use Ka-band and 30-meter antennas with an increase in power and mass. The mission concept for the Solar Polar Imager is mature.
|
From page 35... ...
The Ares V launch vehicle could allow the elimination of the unproven solar sail technology. Solar Polar Imager would make unique observations of the Sun's polar regions, dramatically improving and possibly changing current understanding of the behavior of the star closest to Earth.
|
From page 36... ...
Spilker and Andrew P Ingersoll, "Aerocapture Implementation of NASA's ‘Neptune Orbiter with Probes' Vision Mission," presentation to the Committee on Science Opportunities Enabled by NASA's Constellation System, February 20, 2008; Bernie Bienstock and David Atkinson, "NEPtune Orbiter with Probes," July 21, 2005, Outer Planets Assessment Group (presented by Thomas Spilker to the Committee on Science Opportunities Enabled by NASA's Constellation System, February 2008)
|
From page 37... ...
Of the two missions reviewed by the committee, only the non-nuclear version can fly on a Delta IV heavy launch vehicle, according to the current Delta IV Payload Guide (PPG)
|
From page 38... ...
The Ares V launch vehicle could eliminate the need for aerocapture in Neptune's atmosphere. The study of an ice giant planet is pivotal to understanding the origins of the solar system.
|
From page 39... ...
Levine, "Titan Explorer: The Next Step in the Exploration of a Mysterious World," presentation to the Committee on Science Opportunities Enabled by NASA's Constellation System, February 2008. Note: This study should not be confused with the Titan Explorer study conducted for NASA during 2007.
|
From page 40... ...
Visual and infrared mapping spectrometer to measure cloud and haze layers and the nature of the satellite's surface. Instruments on the Titan Explorer airship include an imager, mass spectrometer, surface composition spectrometer, haze and cloud particle detector, Sun-seeking spectrometer, and a surface science package similar to that flown on the Huygens mission.
|
From page 41... ...
The use of an Ares V launch vehicle could eliminate the requirement for aerocapture. The Titan Explorer will provide a significant improvement in knowledge of the evolution of prebiological chemistry.
|
From page 42... ...
Beegle, "Palmer Quest: A Mission to the Martian Polar Cap," presentation to the Committee on Science Opportunities Enabled by NASA's Constellation System, February 2008.
|
From page 43... ...
The science to be addressed by Palmer Quest has the potential for paradigm-altering discoveries related to life on Mars. The mission would launch in August 2022 on a Delta 4050 heavy launch vehicle and a probe would descend through the ice sheet of the Mars North Polar Cap to search for life at its bed.
|
From page 44... ...
The Palmer Quest mission concept does not deserve further study as a Constellation-enabled science mission. This is an expensive, complex, and high-risk mission that does not require the Constellation System and could utilize an existing launch vehicle such as the Delta IV.
|
From page 45... ...
Finding 3. The following Vision Mission studies might benefit from the opportunities enabled by the Constellation System and are therefore considered more deserving of future study: GenerationX, Modern Universe Space Telescope, Stellar Imager, Interstellar Probe, Solar Polar Imager, Neptune Orbiter with Probes, and Titan Explorer.
|
From page 46... ...
In some cases the technologies, such as advanced sensors, are required for the spacecraft to accomplish its mission. However, the committee noted that several technologies were required for several mission concepts and were essentially "mission enabling." These include propulsion technologies that might allow an alternative to the use of a heavy-lift launch vehicle like the Ares V and are applicable to multiple missions (for example, aerocapture, which can be used at Venus, Mars, Titan, and Neptune, and solar sails, which can be used for the Solar Polar Imager and Interstellar Probe missions)
|
From page 47... ...
DSN, Deep Space Network; LUVO, Large UV/Optical Telescope; MUST, Modern Universe Space Telescope; NEP, nuclear-electric propulsion; SAFIR, Single Aperture Far Infrared Observatory. a Significant mission enhancement.
|
Key Terms
This material may be derived from roughly machine-read images, and so is provided only to facilitate research.
More
information on Chapter Skim is available.