Mission type | Reconnaissance of Mars' moons |
---|---|
Operator | NASA |
Spacecraft properties | |
Bus | Modular Common Spacecraft Bus (MCSB) |
Manufacturer | NASA Ames Research Center |
Mars' moons: Phobos and Deimos orbiter | |
Phobos And Deimos & Mars Environment (PADME) is a low-cost NASA Mars orbiter mission concept that would address longstanding unknowns about Mars' two moons Phobos and Deimos and their environment. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]
The PADME mission competed for Discovery Program funding, but lost to the Psyche and Lucy missions. [3] [4] [5] [6] The Principal Investigator is Anthony Colaprete. Other principals include Pascal Lee (Deputy Principal Investigator) and Butler Hine (Project Manager). [1] [5]
The origin of Mars' moons, which were discovered by astronomer Asaph Hall, remains unknown. PADME would advance the scientific understanding of the origin of Phobos and Deimos by studying: [3] [5]
In addition, PADME would assess potential resources (water, organics, regolith) and potential hazards (dust) that Phobos and Deimos might present for future human exploration in Mars orbit. [3] [4] [5]
Once in Mars orbit, PADME would carry out 16 flybys of Phobos followed by 9 flybys of Deimos. [5] Flybys would take place at two-week intervals. Flyby altitudes at closest approach to Phobos and Deimos would be ~2 km. [5] Following completion of its primary mission, PADME could remain in high Mars orbit for long-term monitoring of the martian system and search for potential additional moonlets around Mars. Alternatively, PADME could be made to escape Mars and eventually fly by a Near-Earth Object (NEO). [5]
NASA Ames Research Center would design, develop, build, and test the PADME spacecraft, and manage mission operations. [1] [3] [4] [5] The proposal is to employ the proven Modular Common Spacecraft Bus (MCSB), previously used by the LADEE Moon orbiter. [1] [5] Major partners include the SETI Institute, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, and University of Colorado's Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics. [3] [4] [5]
The PADME mission has four science instruments plus a radio science experiment which uses the spacecraft's radio communications system. [5]
The orbiter could also carry an optional laser communications experiment. [5]
PADME could launch on a Medium-lift class launch vehicle. The spacecraft would fit within all Atlas V, Delta IV, and Falcon 9 launch vehicle fairings. If selected, PADME would have been launched in August 2020 and reached Mars seven months later, by March 2021. [5]
PADME includes the participation of scientists from Belgium, France, Italy, and Japan. [3] [4] [5]
Mission type | Reconnaissance of Mars' moons |
---|---|
Operator | NASA |
Spacecraft properties | |
Bus | Modular Common Spacecraft Bus (MCSB) |
Manufacturer | NASA Ames Research Center |
Mars' moons: Phobos and Deimos orbiter | |
Phobos And Deimos & Mars Environment (PADME) is a low-cost NASA Mars orbiter mission concept that would address longstanding unknowns about Mars' two moons Phobos and Deimos and their environment. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]
The PADME mission competed for Discovery Program funding, but lost to the Psyche and Lucy missions. [3] [4] [5] [6] The Principal Investigator is Anthony Colaprete. Other principals include Pascal Lee (Deputy Principal Investigator) and Butler Hine (Project Manager). [1] [5]
The origin of Mars' moons, which were discovered by astronomer Asaph Hall, remains unknown. PADME would advance the scientific understanding of the origin of Phobos and Deimos by studying: [3] [5]
In addition, PADME would assess potential resources (water, organics, regolith) and potential hazards (dust) that Phobos and Deimos might present for future human exploration in Mars orbit. [3] [4] [5]
Once in Mars orbit, PADME would carry out 16 flybys of Phobos followed by 9 flybys of Deimos. [5] Flybys would take place at two-week intervals. Flyby altitudes at closest approach to Phobos and Deimos would be ~2 km. [5] Following completion of its primary mission, PADME could remain in high Mars orbit for long-term monitoring of the martian system and search for potential additional moonlets around Mars. Alternatively, PADME could be made to escape Mars and eventually fly by a Near-Earth Object (NEO). [5]
NASA Ames Research Center would design, develop, build, and test the PADME spacecraft, and manage mission operations. [1] [3] [4] [5] The proposal is to employ the proven Modular Common Spacecraft Bus (MCSB), previously used by the LADEE Moon orbiter. [1] [5] Major partners include the SETI Institute, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, and University of Colorado's Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics. [3] [4] [5]
The PADME mission has four science instruments plus a radio science experiment which uses the spacecraft's radio communications system. [5]
The orbiter could also carry an optional laser communications experiment. [5]
PADME could launch on a Medium-lift class launch vehicle. The spacecraft would fit within all Atlas V, Delta IV, and Falcon 9 launch vehicle fairings. If selected, PADME would have been launched in August 2020 and reached Mars seven months later, by March 2021. [5]
PADME includes the participation of scientists from Belgium, France, Italy, and Japan. [3] [4] [5]