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Analysis of the Touch-And-Go Surface Sampling Concept for Comet Sample Return MissionsThis paper studies the Touch-and-Go (TAG) concept for enabling a spacecraft to take a sample from the surface of a small primitive body, such as an asteroid or comet. The idea behind the TAG concept is to let the spacecraft descend to the surface, make contact with the surface for several seconds, and then ascend to a safe location. Sampling would be accomplished by an end-effector that is active during the few seconds of surface contact. The TAG event is one of the most critical events in a primitive body sample-return mission. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the dynamic behavior of a representative spacecraft during the TAG event, i.e., immediately prior, during, and after surface contact of the sampler. The study evaluates the sample-collection performance of the proposed sampling end-effector, in this case a brushwheel sampler, while acquiring material from the surface during the contact. A main result of the study is a guidance and control (G&C) validation of the overall TAG concept, in addition to specific contributions to demonstrating the effectiveness of using nonlinear clutch mechanisms in the sampling arm joints, and increasing the length of the sampling arms to improve robustness.
Document ID
20140001973
Acquisition Source
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Document Type
Conference Paper
External Source(s)
Authors
Mandic, Milan
(Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Acikmese, Behcet
(Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Bayard, David S.
(Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Blackmore, Lars
(Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Date Acquired
March 17, 2014
Publication Date
February 3, 2012
Subject Category
Lunar And Planetary Science And Exploration
Meeting Information
Meeting: Annual AAS Guidance and Control Conference
Location: Breckenridge, CO
Country: United States
Start Date: February 3, 2012
End Date: February 8, 2012
Sponsors: American Astronautical Society
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other
Keywords
Touch-and-Go (TAG)
surface samples
Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous (NEAR) mission

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