NASA Logo

NTRS

NTRS - NASA Technical Reports Server

Back to Results
Near-Earth Asteroid ScoutNear-Earth Asteroids (NEAs) are an easily accessible object in Earth's vicinity. Detections of NEAs are expected to grow in the near future, offering increasing target opportunities. As NASA continues to refine its plans to possibly explore these small worlds with human explorers, initial reconnaissance with comparatively inexpensive robotic precursors is necessary. Obtaining and analyzing relevant data about these bodies via robotic precursors before committing a crew to visit a NEA will significantly minimize crew and mission risk, as well as maximize exploration return potential. The Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) and Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) are jointly examining a mission concept, tentatively called 'NEA Scout,' utilizing a low-cost CubeSats platform in response to the current needs for affordable missions with exploration science value. The NEA Scout mission concept would be a secondary payload on the Space Launch System (SLS) Exploration Mission 1 (EM-1), the first planned flight of the SLS and the second un-crewed test flight of the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV).
Document ID
20140012882
Acquisition Source
Marshall Space Flight Center
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
McNutt, Leslie
(NASA Marshall Space Flight Center Huntsville, AL, United States)
Johnson, Les
(NASA Marshall Space Flight Center Huntsville, AL, United States)
Clardy, Dennon
(NASA Marshall Space Flight Center Huntsville, AL, United States)
Castillo-Rogez, Julie
(Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Frick, Andreas
(Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Jones, Laura
(Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Date Acquired
October 8, 2014
Publication Date
August 4, 2014
Subject Category
Space Sciences (General)
Report/Patent Number
M14-3850
Meeting Information
Meeting: AIAA Space 2014 Conference
Location: San Diego, CA
Country: United States
Start Date: August 4, 2014
End Date: August 7, 2014
Sponsors: American Inst. of Aeronautics and Astronautics
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Public Use Permitted.
No Preview Available