Let's launch a probe on an asteroid?
Let's try to influence Roscosmos by promoting an interesting project of young Russian scientists: a spacecraft to study asteroids. You just need to sign ( link here and at the end of the post. Via Facebook in two clicks ).
Probably many have heard of NASA's plans to seize an asteroid, drag closer to circumlunar orbit, and investigate during a manned flight. They also have plans to try to move the asteroid from its orbit by hitting a metal bar. The study of asteroids from flight paths by various NASA and ESA devices, even CNSA (China), has already been carried out repeatedly. The Japanese managed not only to fly to an asteroid, but also to capture its ground and return it to Earth. About private owners who are going to dig precious metals on asteroids, too, everyone probably heard.
Neither the USSR nor Russia has anything to boast about in this direction of space exploration. Therefore, the current “crusade for asteroids” announced in the Russian media, after the discovery of the potentially dangerous near-Earth asteroid 2013 TV135, looks at least unfounded.
')
But, as it turned out, far from high offices, Twitter and television cameras of journalists, young scientists, engineers and programmers of the NPO named after. S.A. Lavochkin, Space Research Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, Institute of Applied Mathematics. For two years now, MV Keldysh has been developing an automatic spacecraft for flying and studying asteroids.
The working name of the asteroid probe: MCA-ERDU "Anapa" - a small spacecraft with an electric propulsion system. Its mass is assumed to be about 400 kg, and it should fly with the help of a stationary plasma engine. In principle, the apparatus scheme allows it to be sent even to the moon, even to asteroids, but the moon has been studied much better, and the topic of asteroids has been relevant for more than a year.
The main advantage of the device, and its difference from other Soviet and Russian interplanetary stations, is indicated in its name - the electric propulsion system. Due to this, it can do without the use of an accelerating unit for outputting to the interplanetary trajectory. The propulsion system, the small mass of the probe and the dimensions allow it to be output at the same time, when any other device is launched into a geostationary orbit.
In order to leave Earth's orbit and go to the solar satellite will spend a lot of time. In addition, to disperse it will be necessary to perform at least one gravitational maneuver near the Earth.
True, the recently discovered asteroid 2013 TV135, declared by the domestic media as the main threat to the Earth, ICA-ERDU will not reach - a probe is needed more powerful there. Earlier, as part of a research project, scientists from the Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, calculated the trajectory of "interplanetary billiards" when the device does not fly straight to the final goal of its route - the asteroid Apophis,
on the way closer to another 2011 UK 10 asteroid.
This is one of the advantages that is provided by the electric propulsion engine. The same principle develops the scientific program of the spacecraft Dawn NASA: studied Vesta and now flies to the dwarf planet Ceres.
The first oncoming asteroid can be studied on a flying trajectory, as, for example, Rosetta did it with asteroid Steins:
Or NEAR with Matilda:
The ultimate goal of the expedition - Apophis, will create a very difficult task. Its size is about 400 m. The mass of such an asteroid is not enough to create a strong gravitational field, therefore going into its orbit will require much more effort, time and mathematics than, for example, going into the moon's orbit. It is possible that we will have to try several times. NASA was doing this, but the goal was Eros, a 30-kilometer asteroid. You may have to do what JAXA did during the landing on Itokokava, a 300-meter asteroid - the device just flew nearby.
The domestic experience of such operations relates only to the flight of the Vega automatic interplanetary stations in 1986. But there the rapprochement with Halley's comet was made on a collision course, and the adjustments were made with the support of 22 astronomical institutions of the USSR. Now there are only a few of the scientific personnel of those times, so the ICA-ERDU “crew” will have to learn anew.
Now more about the equipment that is supposed to be used on “Anapa”.
The basis of the spacecraft should be the platform "Karat":
The platform will have to be significantly improved, since it is necessary to locate equipment on it that requires a more powerful power supply system - first of all, an electric propulsion engine.
The type and model of the propulsion system was chosen from four options: the German ionnik RIT-10, two Kaliningrad plasma (Hall) SPD-70, SPD-100 produced by the Fakel Design Bureau and the plasma KM-60 of the Center for them. Keldysh. An analysis of the mass-energy characteristics and engine resource has led to the conclusion that the use of the SPD-100 is most appropriate. An important factor was the resource of the engine in 9 thousand hours and its flight practice. (I suppose that RIT-10 still lost by price).
The satellite can communicate using a narrow-beam horn antenna, which should provide transmission speeds of up to 400 kb / s at a distance of the moon. The basic scientific program will go much further, therefore, it is possible that in the distant parts of the orbit, communication will be generally interrupted or carried out at the very minimum necessary to monitor the state of the apparatus.
ICA-ERDU is able to take on board 16 kg of scientific equipment. The selection of instruments was carried out with the participation of IKI specialists.
For a visual study of space bodies and mapping, it is proposed to place a high-resolution camera on the device with a shooting mode in the visible range.
An infrared spectrometer is well suited for studying surface composition.
For example, the OMEGA spectrometer of the Mars Express automatic interplanetary station .
Finally, a gamma spectrometer can be used to search for radioactive elements. They showed themselves well in the study of the Moon and other satellites and planets, so it’s worth looking for on asteroids. Suddenly there is something that will interest future space prospectors, who are only looking at platinum and water on asteroids?
For example Messenger gamma spectrometer
In general, the MCA-ERDU "Anapa" is obtained by a simple and, at the same time, very promising apparatus. It is built, for the most part, from components tested in space according to a modular scheme. Of course, the launch and successful implementation of his scientific program does not promise to enrich world science with some fundamental knowledge. If, only, there is no absolutely unique asteroid. The experience envisioned in this mission will be a repetition of what foreign space agencies have already done, but this is no reason not to undertake its launch. Actually because it is necessary - it's time to catch up. It is especially important that this program was undertaken by young guys who, subsequently, will be able to send more than one ship to interplanetary flights.
If we talk about the scientific and technical novelty of the proposed mission, I would single out a few points:
1) The ICA-ERDU can become the first interplanetary vehicle of the Russian Federation implementing a scientific program beyond the orbit of the moon;
2) The first for our country (the USSR and the Russian Federation) using the electric propulsion propulsion system;
3) The first for our country a small spacecraft weighing less than 500 kg, sent in an interplanetary flight beyond the orbit of the moon;
4) The first for our country, carrying out a scientific program for the study of asteroids at close range.
In addition, the implementation of this project will reduce the risks of all subsequent, and more basic research, using an electric propulsion system, for example, Interheliozond:
The launch of the MCA-ERDU is expected only by 2021. Such slowness is explained by the fact that, in fact, all work is being done as a hobby, i.e. outside working hours, almost on pure enthusiasm. Now the initiative group has been allocated funding in the amount of 1 million rubles a year, but with this money the probe is not something that does not fly, but simply cannot be collected.
Therefore, now the most important thing, for the sake of which I actually started talking about this idea: if we don’t try, it won’t go anywhere at all. I do not offer to fold, $ 70 million even Planetary Resouces will not collect. We can do more.
Remember how we asked Roskosmos to steer Electro-L a little? That was with the previous head of Roskosmos. How responsive this is not yet clear, but we can turn his attention to the ICA-ERDU project, since he himself spoke about the study of asteroids.
To do this, leave your signature . There you can enter without registration through Facebook. In the mobile version, to view the text of the letter, you must click the "+" next to the "Review" item.
Last time, 1,000 people were enough to awaken the soul in a seemingly stagnant space-bureaucratic machine. Hopefully now work out. We do not require money, we ask to consider the possibility of financing. Let the professionals decide whether they will fly or not, we will only pay attention to the project and express our interest.
Our signatures will have no legal weight, but the task is the same - to show that there are space enthusiasts in Russia who want our ships to plow not only near-Earth space, but also the entire Solar system. Therefore, the more signatures there are, the better.
Go?
PS If someone has a desire to somehow participate in the project, regardless of whether they give him money or not, contact the user sir_foxtrot is one of the developers.
Probably many have heard of NASA's plans to seize an asteroid, drag closer to circumlunar orbit, and investigate during a manned flight. They also have plans to try to move the asteroid from its orbit by hitting a metal bar. The study of asteroids from flight paths by various NASA and ESA devices, even CNSA (China), has already been carried out repeatedly. The Japanese managed not only to fly to an asteroid, but also to capture its ground and return it to Earth. About private owners who are going to dig precious metals on asteroids, too, everyone probably heard.
Neither the USSR nor Russia has anything to boast about in this direction of space exploration. Therefore, the current “crusade for asteroids” announced in the Russian media, after the discovery of the potentially dangerous near-Earth asteroid 2013 TV135, looks at least unfounded.
')
But, as it turned out, far from high offices, Twitter and television cameras of journalists, young scientists, engineers and programmers of the NPO named after. S.A. Lavochkin, Space Research Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, Institute of Applied Mathematics. For two years now, MV Keldysh has been developing an automatic spacecraft for flying and studying asteroids.
The working name of the asteroid probe: MCA-ERDU "Anapa" - a small spacecraft with an electric propulsion system. Its mass is assumed to be about 400 kg, and it should fly with the help of a stationary plasma engine. In principle, the apparatus scheme allows it to be sent even to the moon, even to asteroids, but the moon has been studied much better, and the topic of asteroids has been relevant for more than a year.
The main advantage of the device, and its difference from other Soviet and Russian interplanetary stations, is indicated in its name - the electric propulsion system. Due to this, it can do without the use of an accelerating unit for outputting to the interplanetary trajectory. The propulsion system, the small mass of the probe and the dimensions allow it to be output at the same time, when any other device is launched into a geostationary orbit.
In order to leave Earth's orbit and go to the solar satellite will spend a lot of time. In addition, to disperse it will be necessary to perform at least one gravitational maneuver near the Earth.
True, the recently discovered asteroid 2013 TV135, declared by the domestic media as the main threat to the Earth, ICA-ERDU will not reach - a probe is needed more powerful there. Earlier, as part of a research project, scientists from the Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, calculated the trajectory of "interplanetary billiards" when the device does not fly straight to the final goal of its route - the asteroid Apophis,
on the way closer to another 2011 UK 10 asteroid.
This is one of the advantages that is provided by the electric propulsion engine. The same principle develops the scientific program of the spacecraft Dawn NASA: studied Vesta and now flies to the dwarf planet Ceres.
The first oncoming asteroid can be studied on a flying trajectory, as, for example, Rosetta did it with asteroid Steins:
Or NEAR with Matilda:
The ultimate goal of the expedition - Apophis, will create a very difficult task. Its size is about 400 m. The mass of such an asteroid is not enough to create a strong gravitational field, therefore going into its orbit will require much more effort, time and mathematics than, for example, going into the moon's orbit. It is possible that we will have to try several times. NASA was doing this, but the goal was Eros, a 30-kilometer asteroid. You may have to do what JAXA did during the landing on Itokokava, a 300-meter asteroid - the device just flew nearby.
The domestic experience of such operations relates only to the flight of the Vega automatic interplanetary stations in 1986. But there the rapprochement with Halley's comet was made on a collision course, and the adjustments were made with the support of 22 astronomical institutions of the USSR. Now there are only a few of the scientific personnel of those times, so the ICA-ERDU “crew” will have to learn anew.
Now more about the equipment that is supposed to be used on “Anapa”.
The basis of the spacecraft should be the platform "Karat":
The platform will have to be significantly improved, since it is necessary to locate equipment on it that requires a more powerful power supply system - first of all, an electric propulsion engine.
The type and model of the propulsion system was chosen from four options: the German ionnik RIT-10, two Kaliningrad plasma (Hall) SPD-70, SPD-100 produced by the Fakel Design Bureau and the plasma KM-60 of the Center for them. Keldysh. An analysis of the mass-energy characteristics and engine resource has led to the conclusion that the use of the SPD-100 is most appropriate. An important factor was the resource of the engine in 9 thousand hours and its flight practice. (I suppose that RIT-10 still lost by price).
The satellite can communicate using a narrow-beam horn antenna, which should provide transmission speeds of up to 400 kb / s at a distance of the moon. The basic scientific program will go much further, therefore, it is possible that in the distant parts of the orbit, communication will be generally interrupted or carried out at the very minimum necessary to monitor the state of the apparatus.
ICA-ERDU is able to take on board 16 kg of scientific equipment. The selection of instruments was carried out with the participation of IKI specialists.
For a visual study of space bodies and mapping, it is proposed to place a high-resolution camera on the device with a shooting mode in the visible range.
An infrared spectrometer is well suited for studying surface composition.
For example, the OMEGA spectrometer of the Mars Express automatic interplanetary station .
Finally, a gamma spectrometer can be used to search for radioactive elements. They showed themselves well in the study of the Moon and other satellites and planets, so it’s worth looking for on asteroids. Suddenly there is something that will interest future space prospectors, who are only looking at platinum and water on asteroids?
For example Messenger gamma spectrometer
In general, the MCA-ERDU "Anapa" is obtained by a simple and, at the same time, very promising apparatus. It is built, for the most part, from components tested in space according to a modular scheme. Of course, the launch and successful implementation of his scientific program does not promise to enrich world science with some fundamental knowledge. If, only, there is no absolutely unique asteroid. The experience envisioned in this mission will be a repetition of what foreign space agencies have already done, but this is no reason not to undertake its launch. Actually because it is necessary - it's time to catch up. It is especially important that this program was undertaken by young guys who, subsequently, will be able to send more than one ship to interplanetary flights.
If we talk about the scientific and technical novelty of the proposed mission, I would single out a few points:
1) The ICA-ERDU can become the first interplanetary vehicle of the Russian Federation implementing a scientific program beyond the orbit of the moon;
2) The first for our country (the USSR and the Russian Federation) using the electric propulsion propulsion system;
3) The first for our country a small spacecraft weighing less than 500 kg, sent in an interplanetary flight beyond the orbit of the moon;
4) The first for our country, carrying out a scientific program for the study of asteroids at close range.
In addition, the implementation of this project will reduce the risks of all subsequent, and more basic research, using an electric propulsion system, for example, Interheliozond:
The launch of the MCA-ERDU is expected only by 2021. Such slowness is explained by the fact that, in fact, all work is being done as a hobby, i.e. outside working hours, almost on pure enthusiasm. Now the initiative group has been allocated funding in the amount of 1 million rubles a year, but with this money the probe is not something that does not fly, but simply cannot be collected.
Therefore, now the most important thing, for the sake of which I actually started talking about this idea: if we don’t try, it won’t go anywhere at all. I do not offer to fold, $ 70 million even Planetary Resouces will not collect. We can do more.
Remember how we asked Roskosmos to steer Electro-L a little? That was with the previous head of Roskosmos. How responsive this is not yet clear, but we can turn his attention to the ICA-ERDU project, since he himself spoke about the study of asteroids.
To do this, leave your signature . There you can enter without registration through Facebook. In the mobile version, to view the text of the letter, you must click the "+" next to the "Review" item.
Last time, 1,000 people were enough to awaken the soul in a seemingly stagnant space-bureaucratic machine. Hopefully now work out. We do not require money, we ask to consider the possibility of financing. Let the professionals decide whether they will fly or not, we will only pay attention to the project and express our interest.
Our signatures will have no legal weight, but the task is the same - to show that there are space enthusiasts in Russia who want our ships to plow not only near-Earth space, but also the entire Solar system. Therefore, the more signatures there are, the better.
Go?
PS If someone has a desire to somehow participate in the project, regardless of whether they give him money or not, contact the user sir_foxtrot is one of the developers.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/198494/
All Articles