Vault-1 - A mission architecture for human exploration of near-earth objects

Jason Rabinovitch, Ashish Goel, Urszula Niedzielska, Sriram Ganesan, Rachel E. Forman

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionpeer-review

2 Scopus citations

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.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationAIAA SPACE Conference and Exposition 2012
DOIs
StatePublished - 2012
EventAIAA SPACE Conference and Exposition 2012 - Pasadena, CA, United States
Duration: 11 Sep 201213 Sep 2012

Publication series

NameAIAA SPACE Conference and Exposition 2012

Conference

ConferenceAIAA SPACE Conference and Exposition 2012
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CityPasadena, CA
Period11/09/1213/09/12

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