IGF::OT::IGF RESEARCH IN INTERPLANETARY TRAJECTORY OPTIMIZATION FOR PLANETARY DEFENSE. NATIONAL AERONAUTICS…

Public award description

IGF::OT::IGF RESEARCH IN INTERPLANETARY TRAJECTORY OPTIMIZATION FOR PLANETARY DEFENSE. NATIONAL AERONAUTICS SPACE ADMINISTRATIONS (NASAS) GODDARD SPACE FLIGHT CENTER (GSFC) IS CURRENTLY CONDUCTING RESEARCH ON HOW TO BEST DEFLECT A POTENTIALLY HAZARDOUS ASTEROID (PHA) VIA EITHER A KINETIC IMPACTOR (HI) OR NUCLEAR EXPLOSIVE DEVICE (NED) SYSTEM. NASAS ASTEROID DEFLECTION WORK IS DEPENDENT ON THE INTERPLANETARY TRAJECTORY DESIGN TO REACH THE ASTEROID AND IMPART THE OPTIMAL DEFLECTION IMPULSE. CURRENT WORK HAS FOCUSED ON THE DEFLECTION OF THE PHA KNOWN AS 101955 BENNU, WHICH ALSO HAPPENS TO BE THE TARGET OF NASAS ORIGINS, SPECTRAL INTERPRETATION, RESOURCE IDENTIFICATION, SECURITY REGOLITH EXPLORER (OSIRIS REX) ASTEROID SAMPLE RETURN MISSION (LAUNCHING IN SEPTEMBER 2016). TO DATE, THE TRAJECTORY ANALYSIS WORK HAS BEEN LIMITED TO PURELY BALLISTIC TRAJECTORIES; FOR EXAMPLE, THE SPACECRAFT DEPARTS FROM THE EARTH VIA A SINGLE EARTH DEPARTURE MANEUVER PROVIDED BY THE LAUNCH VEHICLE, AND THEN COASTS TO INTERCEPT WITH THE TARGET. IT IS WELL KNOWN THAT INTERPLANETARY DESIGNS CAN OFTEN BE IMPROVED BY THE USE OF OPTIMALLY PLACED DEEP SPACE MANEUVERS (DSMS), PLANETARY FLYBYS, AND OR LOW THRUST SOLAR ELECTRIC PROPULSION. NONE OF THESE TECHNIQUES HAS YET BEEN APPLIED IN THE ASTEROID DEFLECTION STUDY. GSFC REQUIRES A HIGHLY SKILLED PERSON TO PERFORM THIS ADDITIONAL ANALYSIS USING OUR INTERNALLY DEVELOPED ADVANCED TRAJECTORY OPTIMIZATION SOFTWARE, KNOWN AS THE EVOLUTIONARY MISSION TRAJECTORY GENERATOR (EMTG). A PERSON WITH INTERPLANETARY MISSION DESIGN EXPERIENCE AND EXTENSIVE SMALL BODIES EXPERIENCE COULD EASILY LEARN THE TOOL AND BEGIN PRODUCING VALUABLE RESULTS VERY QUICKLY. IN ADDITION, THE PERSON STAFFING THIS WORK WILL IMPROVE EMTGS ABILITY TO DIRECTLY OPTIMIZE THE PERFORMANCE OF A KINETIC IMPACTOR SPACECRAFT, THAT IS, HE WILL CONTINUE ONGOING WORK ON MAKING THE DISTANCE BY WHICH THE POST DEFLECTION ASTEROID MISSES THE EARTH INTO AN OBJECTIVE FUNCTION THAT THE OPTIMIZER CAN ACT ON DIRECTLY. THESE TECHNIQUES MAY THEN BE APPLIED TO OTHER ASTEROID CASE STUDIES AS WELL AS THE BASELINE THE BENNU CASE STUDY.