Asteroid Retrieval Technology Development From the Asteroid Return Mission Study

Abstract

The Keck Institute for Space Studies (KISS) workshops on the Asteroid Return Mission concept explored and established the feasibility of capturing and returning an entire near-Earth asteroid (NEA) to lunar orbit by the middle of the next decade, and identified the benefits that such an endeavor would provide to NASA, the nation, and the world. The goal of this technology development program was to start the process of working select technical issues identified in the study to significantly enhance the prospects of making the asteroid capture and return mission a reality. Key areas of accomplishment: A) Mission architecture definition: 1. Trajectory design 2. SEP propulsion technology 3. Mission/System Design 4. Solar Thermal Power & Propulsion Technology Introduction - Study beam-forming deployable reflector designs for solar concentrators. - Monitor progress in solar-electric power production technologies. B) Small Near Earth Asteroid (NEA) detection: 1. Modifications to the search/detection software employed in the Palomar Transient Factory (PTF). 2. Demonstration of the upgraded PTF as a useful tool for detecting small NEAs. C) In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) for asteroids, specifically for power and propulsion.