The Advanced Scientific Concepts (ASC) 3D Flash LIDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) range cameras have been selected for the OSIRIS-REx planetary science mission that will return a sample of the carbonaceous asteroid 1999 RQ36. The mission \u2013 launching in 2016 \u2013 is aiming to return the asteroid sample to Earth in 2023.<\/p>\n
OSIRIS-Rex:<\/p>\n
Created under the New Frontiers programme \u2013 an effort that calls for the use of medium-class spacecraft for planetary exploration \u2013 OSIRIS-Rex will be the third such mission to be carried out, following the already-launched NASA\u2019s Juno mission, currently on its way to Jupiter, and NASA\u2019s New Horizons, currently on its way to Pluto and the Kuiper Belt and expected to fly past Pluto and its four moons in July 2015.<\/p>\n
The mission\u2019s full name \u201cOrigins-Spectral Interpretation-Resource Identification-Security-Regolith Explorer\u201d, or OSIRIS-REx, will be the first US mission to carry samples from an asteroid back to Earth.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/A164.jpg\" "\\"A164\\"")
\u201cThis is a critical step in meeting the objectives outlined by President Obama to extend our reach beyond low-Earth orbit and explore into deep space,\u201d said NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden. \u201cIt\u2019s robotic missions like these that will pave the way for future human space missions to an asteroid and other deep space destinations.\u201d<\/p>\n
Currently, no asteroid destinations have been selected for human missions \u2013 past case studies in documentation in the 2009 Flexible Path presentation (L2 Link), while the official line continues to only reference the ambiguous \u201csometime in the 2025 range\u201d as the timeframe for such a mission.<\/p>\n
Click here for other NEA Articles: http:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/tag\/neo\/<\/p>\n
However, the ambitious OSIRIS-Rex mission will be a step forward, not least because of the complicated mission profile of launch, rendezvous, \u201clanding\u201d and returning of a spacecraft from such a deep space target.<\/p>\n
Rocket launch schedules (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});<\/p>\n A key element of the mission will be the rendezvous, with ASC\u2019s 3D Flash LIDAR cameras tasked with determining the spacecraft range to the asteroid surface, as well as evaluating the approach to potential sample sites.<\/p>\n This exciting technology has multiple applications, ranging from domestic to military \u2013 including Automotive, Defense, Surveillance, Robotics and Aviation \u2013 with ASC expanding its space-based applications since 2005.<\/p>\n As the first 3D Flash LIDAR camera in space, ASC\u2019s DragonEye has already shown it is capable of real-time images without motion distortion, via its a non-mechanical camera and its eye-safe laser. <\/p>\n ASC\u2019s 3D sensor engines are used by NASA Langley Research Center as the core 3D sensor for Autonomous Landing and Hazard Avoidance (ALHAT) efforts and by NASA JPL for its on-going development of Entry, Descent and Landing (EDL) solutions.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are pleased with what we\u2019ve already been able to achieve with the DragonEye, and look forward to this next phase of product development which sets the stage for long term space use.\u201d<\/p>\n Following launch \u2013 on a vehicle yet to be selected \u2013 the 3D Flash LIDAR will get to prove its value four years into the mission, as OSIRIS-REx approaches the primitive, near Earth asteroid. Once within three miles of the asteroid, the spacecraft will begin six months of comprehensive surface mapping.<\/p>\n The science team then will pick a location from where the spacecraft\u2019s arm will take a sample, allowing the spacecraft to gradually move closer to the site for the arm to extend to collect more than two ounces of material for return to Earth in 2023. The mission, excluding the launch vehicle, is expected to cost approximately $800 million.<\/p>\n \u201cThe OSIRIS-REx sample return mission is of major importance in revealing the origin of volatiles and organics that led to life on Earth,\u201d said Dr. Dante Lauretta, the Principal Investigator overseeing the mission. <\/p>\n \u201cBeing able to accurately range to the asteroid surface during the \u2018touch and go\u2019 maneuver allows us to monitor the target profile and ensure that we are on a safe approach trajectory, with the possibility of multiple approaches if necessary. We welcome ASC\u2019s support to our project.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cASC has worked with commercial companies and NASA\u2019s Langley, Johnson, and Jet Propulsion Laboratory for many years creating and enhancing a non-scanning 3D capture technology for space. We are confident this deep space version of a 3D Flash LIDAR camera will support the success of the OSIRIS-REx mission and assist this important project to deepen man\u2019s understanding of solar system origins,\u201d add Dr. Stettner.<\/p>\n \u201cThe high quality team assembled for this effort greatly increases the probability of success, making safe, deep-space vehicle operations a reality.\u201d<\/p>\n On the return journey, the sample will be stored in a capsule for the long trip back to Earth, ahead of re-entry and a landing at Utah\u2019s Test and Training Range \u2013 where the Orion parachute testing is currently taking place \u2013 in 2023.<\/p>\n The capsule\u2019s design will be similar to that used by NASA\u2019s Stardust spacecraft, which returned the world\u2019s first comet particles from comet Wild 2 in 2006.<\/p>\n The OSIRIS-REx sample capsule will be taken to NASA\u2019s Johnson Space Center in Houston. The material will be removed and delivered to a dedicated research facility following stringent planetary protection protocol. Precise analysis will be performed that cannot be duplicated by spacecraft-based instruments.<\/p>\n Organic molecules have been found in meteorite and comet samples, indicating some of life\u2019s ingredients can be created in space. Scientists want to see if they also are present on RQ36.<\/p>\n \u201cThis asteroid is a time capsule from the birth of our solar system and ushers in a new era of planetary exploration,\u201d said Jim Green, director, NASA\u2019s Planetary Science Division in Washington. \u201cThe knowledge from the mission also will help us to develop methods to better track the orbits of asteroids.\u201d<\/p>\n The mission will accurately measure the \u201cYarkovsky effect\u201d for the first time. The effect is a small push caused by the sun on an asteroid, as it absorbs sunlight and re-emits that energy as heat. The small push adds up over time, but it is uneven due to an asteroid\u2019s shape, wobble, surface composition and rotation.<\/p>\n For scientists to predict an Earth-approaching asteroid\u2019s path, they must understand how the effect will change its orbit. OSIRIS-REx will help refine RQ36\u2019s orbit to ascertain its trajectory and devise future strategies to mitigate possible Earth impacts from celestial objects.<\/p>\n The OSIRIS-REx payload includes instruments from the University of Arizona, Goddard, Arizona State University in Tempe and the Canadian Space Agency. NASA\u2019s Ames Research Center, the Langley Research Center, and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, also are involved. The science team is composed of numerous researchers from universities, private and government agencies.<\/p>\n Images: Via L2, NASA, and ASC). <\/p>\n (Click here: http:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/l2\/ \u2013 to join L2 and directly support NASASpaceflight.com).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Advanced Scientific Concepts (ASC) 3D Flash LIDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) range cameras have been selected for the OSIRIS-REx planetary science mission that will return a sample of the carbonaceous asteroid 1999 RQ36. The mission \u2013 launching in 2016 \u2013 is aiming to return the asteroid sample to Earth in 2023. OSIRIS-Rex: Created under […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":29564,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[6958,1527],"class_list":["post-40120","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-lidar","tag-osiris-rex"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40120"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=40120"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40120\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/29564"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40120"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=40120"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=40120"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Z48.jpg\" "\\"Z4\\"")
The 3D Flash LIDAR cameras are small form-factor, lightweight 3D depth cameras capable of capturing a full array of 128\u00d7128 independently triggered 3D range pixels with co-registered intensity per frame, up to 30 frames per second, allowing 3D range data streams to be generated in real-time, feeding the spacecraft guidance navigation and control systems. The cameras will be able to operate in the harsh deep space environments.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Z38.jpg\" "\\"Z3\\"")
The camera was tested by NASA Johnson Space Center under the Commercial Orbital Transport Services (COTS) program on both STS-127 and STS-133 and is used by SpaceX Corporation\u2019s Dragon vehicle for autonomous guidance, navigation and control (GNC).<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Z55.jpg\" "\\"Z5\\"")
\u201cThe DragonEye 3D Flash LIDAR camera opens many doors for 3D FLC in space, making both manned and unmanned AR&D possible,\u201d said Dr. Roger Stettner, President and CEO of ASC in 2011.<\/p>\nSee Also<\/h4>\n
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![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Z65.jpg\" "\\"Z6\\"")
OSIRIS-Rex\u2019s principal investigator is located at the University of Arizona. NASA\u2019s Goddard Space Flight Center, will provide overall mission management, systems engineering and safety and mission assurance for OSIRIS-REx. Lockheed Martin Space Systems in Denver will build the spacecraft.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Z73.jpg\" "\\"Z7\\"")
RQ36 is approximately 1,900 feet in diameter or roughly the size of five football fields. The asteroid, little altered over time, is likely to represent a snapshot of our solar system\u2019s infancy. The asteroid also is likely rich in carbon, a key element in the organic molecules necessary for life.<\/p>\n