NASA Logo

NTRS

NTRS - NASA Technical Reports Server

Back to Results
Dynamic Acquisition and Retrieval Tool (DART) for Comet Sample Return : Session: 2.06.Robotic Mobility and Sample Acquisition SystemsThe 2011 Decadal Survey for planetary science released by the National Research Council of the National Academies identified Comet Surface Sample Return (CSSR) as one of five high priority potential New Frontiers-class missions in the next decade. The main objectives of the research described in this publication are: develop a concept for an end-to-end system for collecting and storing a comet sample to be returned to Earth; design, fabricate and test a prototype Dynamic Acquisition and Retrieval Tool (DART) capable of collecting 500 cc sample in a canister and eject the canister with a predetermined speed; identify a set of simulants with physical properties at room temperature that suitably match the physical properties of the comet surface as it would be sampled. We propose the use of a dart that would be launched from the spacecraft to impact and penetrate the comet surface. After collecting the sample, the sample canister would be ejected at a speed greater than the comet's escape velocity and captured by the spacecraft, packaged into a return capsule and returned to Earth. The dart would be composed of an inner tube or sample canister, an outer tube, a decelerator, a means of capturing and retaining the sample, and a mechanism to eject the canister with the sample for later rendezvous with the spacecraft. One of the significant unknowns is the physical properties of the comet surface. Based on new findings from the recent Deep Impact comet encounter mission, we have limited our search of solutions for sampling materials to materials with 10 to 100 kPa shear strength in loose or consolidated form. As the possible range of values for the comet surface temperature is also significantly different than room temperature and testing at conditions other than the room temperature can become resource intensive, we sought sample simulants with physical properties at room temperature similar to the expected physical properties of the comet surface material. The chosen DART configuration, the efforts to identify a test simulant and the properties of these simulants, and the results of the preliminary testing will be described in this paper.
Document ID
20150004626
Acquisition Source
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Document Type
Conference Paper
External Source(s)
Authors
Badescu, Mircea
(Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Bonitz, Robert
(Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Kulczycki, Erick
(Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Aisen, Norman
(Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Dandino, Charles M.
(Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Cantrell, Brett S.
(Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Gallagher, William
(Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Shevin, Jesse
(Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Ganino, Anthony
(Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Haddad, Nicolas
(Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Walkemeyer, Phillip
(Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Backes, Paul
(Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Shiraishi, Lori
(Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Date Acquired
April 8, 2015
Publication Date
March 2, 2013
Subject Category
Documentation And Information Science
Lunar And Planetary Science And Exploration
Meeting Information
Meeting: IEEE Aerospace Conference
Location: Big Sky, MT
Country: United States
Start Date: March 2, 2013
End Date: March 9, 2013
Sponsors: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other
Keywords
Dynamic Acquisition and Retrieval Tool (DART)
comet sampling
penetrator

Available Downloads

There are no available downloads for this record.
No Preview Available