NASA Logo

NTRS

NTRS - NASA Technical Reports Server

Back to Results
Solar Sail Application to Comet Nucleus Sample ReturnMany comets have perihelions at distances within 1.0 Astronomical Unit (AU) from the sun. These comets typically are inclined out of the ecliptic. We propose that a solar sail spacecraft could be used to increase the inclination of the orbit to match that of these 1.0 AU comets. The solar sail spacecraft would match the orbit velocity for a short period of time, which would be long enough for a container to be injected into the comet's nucleus. The container would be extended from a long durable tether so that the solar sail would not be required to enter into the potentially degrading environment of the comet s atmosphere. Once the container has been filled with sample material, the tether is retracted. The solar sail would then lower its inclination and fly back to Earth for the sample return. In this paper, we describe the selection of cometary targets, the mission design, and the solar sailcraft design suitable for sail-comet rendezvous as well as possible rendezvous scenarios.
Document ID
20030106568
Acquisition Source
Marshall Space Flight Center
Document Type
Other
Authors
Taylor, Travis S.
(Teledyne Brown Engineering Huntsville, AL, United States)
Moton, Tryshanda T.
(Teledyne Brown Engineering Huntsville, AL, United States)
Robinson, Don
(Teledyne Brown Engineering Huntsville, AL, United States)
Anding, R. Charles
(Teledyne Brown Engineering Huntsville, AL, United States)
Matloff, Gregory L.
(Bangs/Matloff Aerospace Consulting co. Brooklyn, NY, United States)
Garbe, Gregory
(NASA Marshall Space Flight Center Huntsville, AL, United States)
Montgomery, Edward
(NASA Marshall Space Flight Center Huntsville, AL, United States)
Date Acquired
September 7, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 2003
Subject Category
Spacecraft Design, Testing And Performance
Report/Patent Number
AIAA Paper 2003-5275
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Public Use Permitted.
No Preview Available