1. Exploring the Solar System:
all about spacecraft/spaceflight
I. How can we explore the Solar System?
- types of space missions
II. How do we get there?
- launch & orbits
- gravity assist
- fuel/propulsion
III. Onboard Systems
- everything but the kitchen sink…
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Solar System - Dr. C.C. Lang
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2. 1. Flyby Missions
• usually the first phase of exploration
(remember Mars & Mariner 4?)
• spacecraft following continuous orbit
- around the Sun
- escape trajectory
(heading off into deep space)
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3. Famous Example: VOYAGER 2
- launch 1977 with VOYAGER 1
- flew by Jupiter in 1979
- Saturn in 1980/1981
- Uranus (V2) in 1986
- Neptune in 1989
- will continue to interstellar space
- study of interplanetary space particles (Van Allen)
- data expected until 2020
Clouds on Neptune
Interplanetary
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Solar System - Dr. C.C. Lang Space & the Solar Wind
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4. Other Flyby examples:
Underway: Stardust Comet return mission
- launched in 1999
- interstellar dust collection
- asteroid Annefrank flyby
- Comet encounter (Jan 2004)
- Earth/sample return (Jan 2006)
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5. Future flyby: Pluto-Kuiper Belt Mission
- to be launched in January 2006
- swing by Jupiter (gravity assist*)
- fly by Pluto & moon Charon in 2015
- then head into Kuiper Belt region
(tons of solar system debris)
- to study objects that are like Pluto
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6. 2. Orbiter Spacecraft
• designed to travel to distant planet &
enter into orbit around planet
• must carry substantial propulsion
(fuel) capacity has to withstand:
- staying in the ‘dark’ for periods of time
- extreme thermal variations
- staying out of touch with Earth for periods of
time
• usually the second phase of
exploration
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7. Famous Example: Galileo
- why would a mission to Jupiter be called Galileo?
- launched in 1989 aboard Atlantis Space Shuttle
- entered into Jupiter’s orbit in 1995
- highly successful study of Jupiter & its moons
Burned up in Jupiter’s atmosphere last week!
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8. 3. Atmospheric Spacecraft
- relatively short mission
- collect data about the atmosphere of a planet or planet’s moon
- usually piggy back on a bigger craft
- needs no propulsion of its own
- takes direct measurements of atmosphere
- usually is destroyed; rest of spacecraft continues its mission
Example:
Galileo’s atmospheric probe
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9. Example: Galileo’s atmospheric probe
- traveled with Galileo for nearly six years
- took five months from release to contact with atmosphere
- collected 1 hour’s data IN Jupiter’s atmosphere
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10. 4. Lander Spacecraft
- designed to reach surface of a planet/body
- survive long enough to transmit data back to Earth
- small, chemical experiments possible
Mars Viking
Lander
Many Successful Examples:
- Mars Viking Landers
- Venus Lander
- Moon Landers
(with humans!)
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11. Example: NEAR Asteroid Rendevous Mission
fly to a nearby asteroid: Eros – 1-2 AU orbit around Sun
Near-Earth Asteroid Eros
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~ twice size of NYC
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14. 5. Penetrator Spacecraft
- designed to penetrate the surface of a planet/body
- must survive the impact of many times the gravity on Earth
- measure properties of impacted surface
No Currently Successful Examples:
- Deep Space 2 (lost with Mars Polar Lander)
But more to come in future:
- “Ice Pick” Mission to Jupiter’s Moon Europa
- “Deep Impact” Mission to a Comet
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16. 6. Rover Spacecraft
- electrically powered, mobile rovers
- mainly designed for exploration of Mars’ surface
- purposes: taking/analyzing samples with possibility of return
- Pathfinder was test mission – now being heavily developed
Mars Pathfinder
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Mars Exploration Rovers
Solar System - Dr. C.C. Lang
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17. 7. Observatory Spacecraft
- in Earth orbit (or at Lagrange points)
- NASA’s “Great Observatories”:
- Hubble (visible)
- Chandra (X-ray)
- SIRTF (infrared)
- Compton (gamma-rays)
SOHO
-Large, complex scientific instruments
- up to 10-20 instruments on board
- designed to last > 5-10 years
SIRTF (near-IR)
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Chandra (X-ray)
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18. How do we get there?
using LEAST amount of
fuel – saves big $$$ to be light
1. First must leave the Earth’s surface
- must ‘escape’ into orbit
- gets an initial boost via rocket
to go into Earth’s orbit – needs
an acceleration of 5 miles/sec
- during orbit, you sometimes
need to adjust height of orbit
by increasing/decreasing energy:
- practically: firing onboard rocket
thrusters
- a speed of 19,000 miles/hr
willSept 03 in orbit around Earth
keep craft
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Solar System - Dr. C.C. Lang
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19. How do we get there?
using LEAST amount of
fuel – saves big $$$ to be light
2. To get to an outer orbit: Mars
- spacecraft already in orbit (around Sun)
- need to adjust the orbit – boost via rocket –
so that the spacecraft gets transferred from
Earth’s orbit around Sun to Mars’ orbit around Sun
- but you want spacecraft to intercept Mars on
Mars’ orbit
- matter of timing: small window every 26 months
- to be captured by Mars – must decelerate
- to LAND on Mars – must decelerate further &
useSept 03 mechanism Solar System - Dr. C.C. Lang
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20. How do we get there?
using LEAST amount of
fuel – saves big $$$ to be light
3. To get to an inner orbit: Venus
- spacecraft already in orbit (around Sun) on Earth
- need to adjust the orbit once off Earth to head
inwards to Venus
- instead of SLOWING down (you’d fall to Earth),
you use reverse motion in your solar orbit, effectively
slowing down to land on Venus’ orbit
- but you want spacecraft to intercept Venus on
Venus’ orbit
- matter of timing: small window every 19 months
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21. How do we get there?
using LEAST amount of
fuel – saves big $$$ to be light
4. Gravity Assist
- can use the law of gravity to help spacecraft
propel themselves further out in the SS
- Voyager: its trajectory was aimed at getting
to Jupiter’s orbit just after Jupiter
- Voyager was gravitationally attracted to
Jupiter, and fell in towards Jupiter
- Jupiter was “tugged on” by Voyager and its
orbital energy decreased slightly
-then Voyager had more energy than was
needed to stay in orbit around Jupiter, and
was propelled outward!
29 Sept 03
- repeated at Saturn & Uranus
Solar System - Dr. C.C. Lang
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22. At what speeds are these things traveling through space?
The currently fastest spacecraft speeds are
around 20 km per second (72,000 km per/hr)
For example, Voyager 1 is now moving
outwards from the solar system at a speed of
16 km per second. At this rate, it would
take 85,000 years to reach the nearest star
-3,000 human generations!
Even assuming that we could reach a speed
of 1/10th of the velocity of light, it would
still take a minimum of 40 years or so to
reach our nearest star.
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23. How do we get there?
using LEAST amount of
fuel – saves big $$$ to be light
5. Concerns about energy sources
- traditional energy boost: chemical thrusters
- most of energy is provided on launch – very costly!
especially for large, heavy, complex instruments
- a few times per year spacecraft fires short
bursts from its thrusters to make adjustments
- mostly free falling in orbit, coasting to destination
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24. How do we get there?
using LEAST amount of
fuel – saves big $$$ to be light
5. The Future: Ion Propulsion
- Xenon atoms are made of protons (+) and electrons (-)
- bombard a gas with electrons (-) to change charge
- creates a build up of IONS (+)
- use magnetic field to direct charged particles
- the IONS are accelerated out the back of craft
- this pushes the craft in the opposite direction
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25. •
•
•
•
to operate the ion system, use SOLAR panels
sometimes called solar-electric propulsion
can push a spacecraft up to 10x that of chemical propulsion
very gentle – best for slow accelerations
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26. HISTORY of ION PROPULSION
• first ion propulsion engine – built in 1960
• over 50 years in design/development at NASA
• very new technology
• has been used successfully on test mission:
Deep Space 1
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27. Europe’s Lunar Explorer: Smart 1 Probe
- launched 27 September 2003 (Saturday)
- 2-2.5 year mission
- will study lunar geochemistry
- search for ice at south Lunar pole
- **testing/proving of ion propulsion drives!**
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28. Onboard Systems on Most Spacecraft: Galileo
1. data handling
2. flight control 3. telecommunications
4. electrical power 5. particle shields
6. temperature control
7. propulsion mechanism System - Dr. C.C. Lang
8. mechanical devices28
(deployment)
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Solar

29. Time & Money Considerations
Planning for a new spacecraft
- plans start about ~10 years before projected launch date
- must make through numerous hurdles/reviews
- very competitive: 1/10-25 average acceptance rate
Costs! (circa 2000) – total NASA budget (2000) was $13 billion
• Basic Assumptions for design/development of small craft:
- Cost of spacecraft and design: $50M
- Cost of launch: $50M + $10M per AU + $10M per instrument
- Cost of mission operations: $10M / month
- Initial speed: 3 months per AU of distance
For every additional instrument, add $100M and increase travel time by 25%
(e.g., for four instruments, double the travel time)
A probe, lander, or balloon counts as two additional instruments.
If you are going to the outer Solar System (Jupiter or beyond),
you must add plutonium batteries, which count as one instrument.
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30. This powerpoint was kindly donated to
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thousand powerpoints submitted by teachers. This is a
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visit and I hope it will help in your teaching.
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