Freiburg 2008 – wissenschaftliches Programm
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EP: Fachverband Extraterrestrische Physik
EP 3: Planets and Small Bodies - Poster Session
EP 3.9: Poster
Montag, 3. März 2008, 17:30–19:00, Vorraum KGI-Aula
Astex - A study of a mission to visit two near-Earth asteroids — Hermann Boehnhardt1, Andreas Nathues1, Alan Harris2, and •The Astex Study Team3 — 1MPS, Katlenburg-Lindau — 2DLR, Berlin-Adlershof — 3Various German institutes and industry companies
Astex stands for a feasibility study of an exploration mission to two near-Earth asteroids. The targets should have different mineralogical constitution, more specifically one asteroid should be of “primitive” nature, the other one should be “evolved”. The scientific goal of such a mission is to explore the physical, geological and compositional constitution of the asteroids as planetary bodies as well as to provide information and constraints on the formation and evolution history of the objects per se and of the planetary system, here the asteroid belt, as a whole. Here, two aspects play an important role, i.e. the search and exploration for the origin and evolution of the primordial material for the formation of life in the solar system on one side and the understanding of the processes that have led to mineralogical differentiation planetary embryos on the other side. The mission scenario consists of an orbiting and landing phase at each target. The immediate aims of the study are (1) to identify potential targets and to develop for selected pairs more detailed mission scenarios including the best possible propulsion systems to be used, (2) to define the scientific payload of the mission, (3) to analyse the requirements and options for the spacecraft bus and the lander system, and (4) to assess and to define requirements for the operational ground segment of the mission.