The MILO Space Science Institute and Smallsat Missions to Explore the Diversity of Near-Earth Asteroids
Abstract
The MILO Space Science Institute is a non-profit collaboration among Arizona State University, Lockheed Martin, and GEOshare. MILO was formed to test the hypothesis that science-driven deep space robotic missions could be organized, conducted, and led by a consortium of U.S. and foreign universities and space agencies, rather than only by the world's largest space agencies. Initial MILO activity has focused on design and development of a few inaugural mission concepts that could achieve Decadal Survey quality science, be conducted relatively quickly as a proof-of-concept, and be relatively affordable, with a total cost significantly below the cost of a NASA Discovery-class mission.
Two smallsat missions to explore Near-Earth Objects (NEOs; small asteroids or comets that occasionally come relatively close to Earth) are being assessed as candidates for the first inaugural MILO mission. One is called NEOshare, which would launch in 2023 a cluster of six smallsats that would each perform a close flyby of a different NEO when close to Earth. Each smallsat would be equipped with cameras, spectrometers, and other heritage instrumentation. Because some of the smallsats can flyby multiple objects, we would plan to characterize at least eight new NEOs during that mission. The second potential inaugural mission, called Apophis Pathfinder, would focus on performing the first-ever close flyby of the 370-meter diameter Potentially Hazardous NEO (99942) Apophis, which occasionally comes extremely close to Earth (e.g., on April 13, 2029, it will pass Earth's center of mass at a distance of only about 31,000 km - roughly five Earth radii above the surface and well within Earth's geosynchronous satellite ring). MILO's Apophis Pathfinder mission would conduct a flyby precursor investigation of that asteroid several years or more in advance of its 2029 Earth flyby, using a payload similar to that on NEOshare to provide initial reconnaissance data to inform and influence planning for additional flyby or encounter missions to (99942) Apophis in 2029 and beyond. MILO Space Science Institute missions like these will be conducted by a consortium of U.S. and foreign universities and space agencies that join the MILO Institute's membership-based model for deep space science exploration. See http://miloinstitute.org for more details.- Publication:
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AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2019
- Bibcode:
- 2019AGUFM.A43F..07B
- Keywords:
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- 0399 General or miscellaneous;
- ATMOSPHERIC COMPOSITION AND STRUCTURE;
- 1699 General or miscellaneous;
- GLOBAL CHANGE;
- 7599 General or miscellaneous;
- SOLAR PHYSICS;
- ASTROPHYSICS;
- AND ASTRONOMY;
- 7899 General or miscellaneous;
- SPACE PLASMA PHYSICS