Vault-1 - A Mission Architecture for Human Exploration of Near-Earth Objects
Abstract
In 2011, the Keck Institute for Space Studies hosted the Caltech Space Challenge, a week long workshop/competition directed towards the President's initiative of sending astronauts to an asteroid by 2025. Two teams composed of 16 students each, representing 12 different nations, competed to prepare a mission proposal by the end of the week. This report highlights some of the work done by Team Voyager. Not only is this work useful in showing that a manned mission to a Near-Earth Object is feasible by 2025, but it also demonstrates the utility of intense, relatively short student competitions. This study is an outline of Vault-1, a proposed human mission to a Near-Earth Object. In addition to continuing human exploration, Vault-1 aims to make new discoveries about the origins of the Solar System, to develop technologies geared towards deep space exploration and a manned Mars mission, and to gain critical knowledge and experience to better protect Earth from future asteroid impacts. The primary target of this endeavor is 1999AO10, an asteroid that is larger than 30 m that also has an achievable mission duration of less than 200 days. 2000SG344 is a viable secondary target. Vault-1 will nominally carry 3 crew members to 1999AO10; after 14 days at the asteroid, the astronauts will return safely to the Earth with samples from the asteroid.
Additional Information
© 2012 Jason Rabinovitch. Published by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Inc., with permission. This study was conducted as a part of the 2011 Caltech Space Challenge, a week long workshop/competition directed towards the U.S.A Presidents initiative of sending astronauts to an asteroid by 2025. This challenge worked to address the 2010 United States National Space Vision, as well as satisfying growing international interest in the exploration of Near Earth Objects. The challenge was hosted by the Keck Institute for Space Studies (KISS), and held at the California Institute of Technology from Sept 12-16, 2011. The event was organized by two graduate students studying at the California Institute of Technology, Prakhar Mehrortra and Jonathan Mihaly. The event was managed by Michele Judd, the Managing Director for the Keck Institute for Space Studies, and the student organizers were mentored by Dr. Donald Yeomans, John D. Baker, and Professor Paul E. Dimotakis. 32 international participants representing 12 nations were invited to participate in the challenge after two rounds of selection process. The participants were divided into two teams - Team Voyager and Team Explorer, and were challenged to prepare competing proposals for the first manned mission to a Near Earth Object. We would like to acknowledge the contributions of our team members Emmet M. Cleary, Aditi J. Dighe, Ken P.L. Ho, Arlen Kam, Paola Libraro, Daniel Y. Lo, Pascal Renten, Apoorv Sharma, Michael A. Skeen, Tomohiro Yamaguchi and Samuel R. Zarovy, and our project mentors Dr. Paul E. Dimotakis, Dr. Donald K. Yeomans, Nigel Angold, Nathan Strange and Aline Zimmer. Special thanks also go to Michele Judd, for making this event possible. In addition we would like to thank the sponsors of this event, Lockheed Martin, SpaceX, Orbital Sciences Corporation, Analytical Graphics Inc., Mrs. Helen Keeley, Dr. Louis J. Alpinieri, and Dr. Fernando FernandezAttached Files
Published - voyager-aiaa-2012.pdf
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Additional details
- Eprint ID
- 98212
- Resolver ID
- CaltechAUTHORS:20190826-092411944
- Lockheed-Martin Corporation
- SpaceX
- Orbital Sciences Corporation
- Analytical Graphics
- Helen Keeley
- Louis J. Alpinieri
- Fernando Fernandez
- Created
-
2019-08-26Created from EPrint's datestamp field
- Updated
-
2021-11-16Created from EPrint's last_modified field
- Caltech groups
- GALCIT, Keck Institute for Space Studies
- Other Numbering System Name
- AIAA Paper
- Other Numbering System Identifier
- 2012-5113