Sample from an asteroid.

[trekkiedane]

During my daily skimming of the news I ran into this little thing on the BBC: Europe plans asteroid sample grab.

Mission plans are being worked on by UK Astrium and OHB in Germany.

Both satellite manufacturers have been asked to undertake a feasibility study, to assess the type of spacecraft architecture that would be needed to carry out the project.

A final decision on whether to approve the mission will be made by the European Space Agency (Esa) in a few years' time. The mission would launch towards the end of the next decade, in about 2017.

It is still not clear whether Japan's Hayabusa spacecraft managed to capture any material and the probe's return to Earth is still haunted by uncertainty.

[The Americans] have also sent the Dawn spacecraft to rendezvous with Asteroid Vesta in 2011 before going on to visit Asteroid Ceres in 2015. But these are remote-sensing ventures, not sample return attempts.

All very interesting, I think, but how do they decide what asteroid to sample?

 

[All Seeing Eye]

Yes it will apparently take 2 and a half years to get to the asteroid and after samples are taken etc it will take 1 and a half years to return.

Can't wait. Seriously, i'm excited.

 

[Meredith]

They should do a Constellation mission to an Asteroid, that would be awesome and it would make the movie Armageddon look like silly crap!

 

[M'Sharak]

All very interesting, I think, but how do they decide what asteroid to sample?

I think feasibility plays a large part. They seem to have had a list of possibles, though it's not said what criteria were used.

From the article:

"We'll be looking at the best solution for getting there and back," UK Astrium's Dr Ralph Cordey told BBC News.

"We've got to look at all elements of the mission - how we would design the mission, how to design the trajectory to one of a number of possible asteroids, how to optimise that so we use the smallest spacecraft, the least fuel and the smallest rocket."

I don't recall specifics from back when it was launched, but the Hayabusa team must have had a similar selection process at work.

 

[Brolan]

They should do a Constellation mission to an Asteroid, that would be awesome and it would make the movie Armageddon look like silly crap!

The movie Armageddon looks like silly crap without any help.

 

[anti-matter]

Well if they can land and take off and return again that'll be quite an achievement...regardless of what they find.

 

[Meredith]

Well if they can land and take off and return again that'll be quite an achievement...regardless of what they find.

They could take off from an asteroid by firing maneuvering thrusters