Genesis Mission

1
Genesis Mission

• Launched in 2001, and will return samples of
  solar wind to earth September 8, 2004
• Goal
• The composition of the solar wind resembles that
  of the interstellar dust, gas, and ice in the
  solar nebula, so studying these particles will
  tell us about planetary formulation and diversity
• Process
• Orbits around the Lagrangian Point where gravity
  from earth and sun is balanced
• Concentrates and collects solar isotopic
  abundances from solar wind
• The sample canister will be dropped to earth on a
  parachute and retrieved by a stunt helicopter
• Price tag about 200 million

2
Dawn Mission A Journey to the Beginning of the
Solar System

• Will launch in May 2006.
• Enters orbit of the Asteroid Vesta in July 2010.
• Vesta is the brightest asteroid in the solar
  system.
• Dawn will orbit Vesta for almost a year studying
  structure and composition.
• Vesta is thought to have formed within 5 million
  years of the solar system.
• Enters orbit of the Asteroid Ceres in August
  2014.
• Ceres is the largest asteroid in the solar system
  and the first to be discovered.
• Dawn will orbit Ceres for almost a year before
  leaving and possibly studying other asteroids.
• Will be the first purely scientific mission to
  use advanced ion propulsion.
• Estimated at 299 million, but actual cost
  unknown.
• Partly led by UCLA, directed by Professor Russel
  in the ESS department of UCLA.

3
Atmospheric Infrared Sounder

• Launched on May 4, 2002
• It makes highly accurate measurements of air
  temp, humidity, clouds, and surface temperature
  of the Earth.
• Part of the Aqua Satellite (NASA)
• Aqua Satellite has six different instruments that
  work together in obtaining accurate data about
  the Earths water system
• Scientific goal is to be able to make accurate
  weather forecasts, learn how to protect our water
  system, and to better take care of the
  environment.
• Expected lifetime of 6 yrs
• Uses different channels to produce infrared
  images that give you the temperature of the
  corresponding height.
• AIRS together with other instruments will provide
  needed basic meteorological observations of
  atmospheric temp moisture, day and night, over
  areas of very little previous data.
• -- This allows Aqua mission to bring two
  important elements together global coverage
  high accuracy.

4
Deep Impact Mission

• Launches in December 2004, arrives at comet
  Tempel 1 in July 2005
• Boeing Delta II rocketcraft armed with cameras,
  spectroscope, and a smart mass
• Mass released towards comet to create impact
  crater
• Objectives to observe impact, measure crater and
  composition, and see changes in natural
  outgassing
• Joint effort between JPL, UMD, and Ball Aerospace
  and Tech. Corp.
• One of NASAs new low-cost/high-focus missions

5
Meteorology Not A Joke After All.

• Seawinds on ADEOS 2
• The SeaWinds scatterometer is a specialized
  microwave radar that measures near-surface wind
  velocity (both speed and direction) under all
  weather and cloud conditions over Earth's oceans
• Continues the data series initiated in 1996 by
  the NSCAT
• Uses a rotating dish antenna with two beams
• Improve weather forecasts near coastlines by
  using wind data in numerical weather- and
  wave-prediction models, improve storm warning and
  monitoring
•          Acquire all-weather, high-resolution
  measurements of near-surface winds over the
  global oceans. Combine wind data with
  measurements from scientific instruments in other
  disciplines to understand mechanisms of global
  climate change and weather patterns
• Left Earth November 2002

6
Topex-Poseidon Mission

• Launched in 1992 and is still going strong after
  10 years of ocean observations
• Joint NASA-CNES program (i.e. US and France)
• Altimeter instruments
• -Measure sea level every 10 days
• Microwave radiometer
• -Estimates Earth atmospheres total water vapor
  content
• -(used to correct data from altimeter)
• accurate to better than 5cm
• (4.2 cm, to be exact)
• Cost 480 million
• (less than separate French/US missions would
  cost also less than predicted)
• Allows scientists to map currents and ocean
  surface topography, find climate patterns, and
  monitor large scale oceanic features (ex. Rossby
  Kelvin waters El Nino and La Nina phenomenons)

7
Ulysses Solar Polar Mission

• The Ulysses Solar Polar mission is a
  collaboration between NASA (providing the launch
  space shuttle) and the European Space Agency
  (built the craft itself).
• The craft is 814 lbs., has dimensions of 3x3x2
  meters, and is adorned with 12 instruments able
  to gather information about Jupiter, the sun, and
  the interstellar medium.
• The launch date was October 6, 1990, it
  encountered Jupiter in February of 1992, and
  using Jupiters gravity was directed into an
  unusual orbit of the sun, enabling it to view the
  sun at all latitudes.
• This mission is unlike any before because it
  achieved a solar orbital of 80.2 degrees to the
  ecliptic, enabling it to view both the North and
  South poles of the sun.
• Measurements taken by Ulysses have produced
  discoveries concerning Jupiter, the sun, the
  local interstellar medium, the origins of gamma
  ray bursts, and was able to map solar wind
  magnetic fields.
• Its findings also went on to support the
  theories proposed by NASAs Living with a Star
  and Sun-Earth Connection Programs.

• Ulysses mission has been extended until 2008 when
  it will make another pass very close to the sun.

8
Galileo Mission

• Launched in 1989, and arrived at Jupiter in 1995.
• Galileo
• Took images of Jupiter and its four major moons
• The scientific goal was to study Jupiter to
  better understand how the sun and the planets
  formed more than 4.5 bya.
• The mission lasted 14 years and made over 24
  orbits
• Descent probe
• Directly measured Jupiters atmosphere.
• Used fuel for power
• The mission ended on Sept. 21, 2003 after the
  spacecraft plowed through Jupiters atmosphere

9
Cassini-Huygens Mission

• Launched in 1997, and will arrive at Saturn in
  July 2004.
• Cassini Orbiter (JPL)
• Take images of Saturn and its 30 moons
• Scientific goals are to study Saturns
  magnetosphere, rings, and atmosphere.
• Expected lifetime of 4 yrs over 70 orbits
• Huygens probe (ESA)
• Descend through Titans atmosphere to study its
  clouds, and surface.
• Uses nuclear energy for power
• Price tag 6 billion a lot of money so this
  better work
• JPL is now controlling the Cassini-Huygens
  mission through the Deep Space Network

10
Kepler Mission

• Launch Oct. 2007 with a 4 year lifespan orbit
  around
• the Sun, searching 100,000 main sequence stars.
• Telescope for detecting terrestrial planets,
  rocky
• Earth-size, in the habitable zone of other
  stars.
• Reveals the planets size, orbit, and
  temperature.
• Uses a specialized one-meter diameter telescope,
• a photometer, to measure the small changes in
  brightness caused by planetary transits.
• Key technology of the photometer is a set of
  charged coupled devices (CCDs) that measures the
  brightness of hundreds of thousands of stars at
  the same time.
• Problem of system noise and hence the
  detectability of transits.
• Solved with specifically designed cameras
  (optics, CCD, controller), a mechanically stable
  structure, and thermal controls.
• Price within the Discovery Program's development
  cost cap of about 299 million.
• Justified because it emphasizes lower-cost,
  highly focused scientific missions whose research
  can help find extrasolar planets.

11
Mars Exploration Rovers (JPL)

• Two Rovers- identical, 400 lbs, landed at
  different regions
• - Spirit launched June 10,2003 and arrived
  January 3, 2004
• - Opportunity launched July 7,2003 and arrived
  January 24,2004
• Main Goal to search for any evidence of liquid
  water on the planets surface as well as to study
  the planets atmosphere.
• Rovers Abilities
• - covers 40 meters of Martian surface a day
• - take daily images of rocks and soils, which
  allows the
• composition and texture to be studied on
• microscopic scales.
• - has a rock abrasion tool to expose fresh rock
  surfaces
• - examine rocks and soils with the use of
• a set of five instruments.
• - contains numerous of magnets to collect
• magnetic airborne dust
• Expected mission lifetime
• 3 months on the surface

12
The Stardust Mission

• Launched February 7, 1999
• Sent a spacecraft to fly through the cloud of
  dust that surrounds the nucleus of a comet and
  bring back the cometary material to earth
• First mission dedicated to exploring a comet
• First time that extraterrestrial material from
  outside the orbit of the moon will be brought
  back to earth
• Stardusts objectives
• Capture samples of the well-preserved comet
• Photograph comet Wild-2

13
The Stardust Mission

• Technology Used
• Delta II Rocket
• Science-related subsystems Aerogel dust
  collectors, sample return capsule, comet and
  interstellar dust analyzer, dust flux monitor,
  navigation camera
• Potential application of technologies
• Similar missions through dangerous
  extraterrestrial environments

14
The Stardust Mission

• Results
• The highest resolution images ever taken of a
  comets nucleus
• Cometary material samples
• Information gathered will help answer questions
  about the solar system
• Cost
• 199.6 million (including launch vehicle)
• Justified Yes
• Part of a series of the most economical NASA
  programs to date
• Focus on important scientific goals and gathering
  practical scientific information

15
Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) Mission

• Launched on April 28, 2003 (mission duration of
  29 months) to investigate the causes and
  evolution of star formation in galaxies over the
  history of the Universe.
• GALEX (JPL)
• An orbiting space telescope that makes
  observations at ultraviolet wavelengths to
  measure the history of star formation
• Scientific goal is to observe hundreds of
  thousands of galaxies and determine how far away
  each galaxy is from Earth and how fast stars are
  forming in each galaxy
• Scientists would also like to know when the stars
  we see today were formed, as well as when the
  chemical elements that make up the Milky Way
  Galaxy formed.
• GALEX detectors measure ultraviolet light one
  photon at a time. The GALEX detectors are the
  largest UV detectors of their kind.
• The telescope has an incredibly wide field of
  view (in comparison, the Hubble Space Telescopes
  field of view is 1/500th the size of GALEX)
• GALEX technology will allow scientists to see the
  sky in a way no one has seen it before.

16
2001 MARS ODYSSEY

• Launched April 7, 2001, and arrived at Mars
  October 24, 2001.
• 2001 Mars Odyssey (JPL)
• Take images of Mars to determine the composition
  of minerals and rocks on the surface.
• Study geological processes
• Collect data on the radiation environment to
  asses future potential risks to humans
• Measure amt. of water in upper meter of soil on
  the planet to search for clues about the climate
  history
• Uses electrical power
• Has already
• - Found water ice under the surface
• - Found out what Mars is made of

17
Mars Global Surveyor

• Launch Date November 7, 1996
• Arrival Date September 12, 1997
• The Global Surveyor
• First successful mission to mars in 2 decades
• Prime mapping mission starts in 1999
• Observes at low altitude orbiting mars
• Findings
• Pictures of gullies and debris
• Suggests source of liquid
• Magnetic field not globally centralized
• New Temperature Data
• New close-up images of surface
• Laser altimeter gave first 3d view of northern
  ice cap

18
Spitzer Space Telescope

• Launched on August 25, 2003 and is currently
  orbiting the Sun.
• Also known as the Space Infrared Telescope
  Facility (SIRTF)
• Looks for stars by searching for their heat
• Lifetime goal of 5 yrs
• Purpose
• To observe the formation of planets and stars
• To observe the origin of energetic galaxies and
  quasars
• To observe the distribution of matter and
  galaxies
• To observe the formation and evolution of
  galaxies
• Innovations
• Trails Earths orbit heliocentric
• warm-launch architecture
• Price tag 0.45 - 2.2 billion
• Spitzer is the final stage of NASAs Great
  Observatories Program a series of four
  different telescopes observing the universe thru
  4 types of light (visible, gamma rays, x-ray,
  infrared)

19
Keck Interferometer

• Worlds largest telescope for optical and
  infrared astronomy
• Origins Program-JPL and CARA
• Budget 200 million
• Goals
• Characterize dust around stars
• Detect Hot Jupiters
• Detect Uranus-sized planets
• Image disks around young stars
• Technology
• Nulling Combiner Eliminates the light of the
  star so that dust is detected and planets may be
  found
• Recent Discovery
• Galaxy NGC 4151 at 40 million light years away

20
Space Interferometry Mission

• Tentative Launch in 2009.
• SIM (JPL)
• Connect two telescopes to make one larger
  telescope, or super telescope.
• Scientific goals are to measure distances to
  stars several hundred times better, as well as
  detect any wobble, as to imply planets and their
  gravity fields.
• Expected lifetime of 4 yrs over 70 orbits
• Uses light from two or more telescopes and
  combines them to make a larger, singular
  telescope.
• Price tag 4 billion technology should work,
  but it better or else taxpayers will be upset.
• JPL is now controlling the Space Interferometry
  Mission through the Deep Space Network

21
Terrestrial Planet Finder

• Future mission managed by JPL and funded by NASA
  Origins program.
• Scheduled for launch in 2012-2015
• Will block starlight to help detect the dimmer
  earth like planet(s)
• Study the atmospheric composition of planets and
  try to detect biosignatures (i.e. gases that
  suggest life is present)
• _ Provide clues to planet formation from the
  disk around a star.
• -- Will last about 5 years
• Technology (2 types proposed)
• One large visible light telescope
• Several smaller infrared interferometer
  telescopes- hundreds of meters apart working as
  one telescope (currently favored)
• TPF culmination of technology of missions before
  it, such as
• --Kepler (2006-07)
• --Space Interferometry Mission (2009)
• Will try to answer the questions
• --How common are habitable planets around
  solar-type stars
• --How common is life
• --How does planetary formation work

22
Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA)

• Estimated to Launch in 2010.
• OBJECTIVE To detect gravitational waves from
  sources involving binaries within the Milky Way
  and massive black holes outside of it.
• MISSION DURATION Five to ten years.
• ORBIT 20 degrees behind Earth's orbit of the
  Sun, at 1 AU from the Sun.
• Will be the first space-based gravitational wave
  observatory that will be dedicated solely to this
  task.

23
Herschel Space Observatory Mission

• Primary Objective is to study space through
  imaging the universe in far-IR and submillimetre
  electromagnetic radiation
• Using IR light to image the universe allows
  scientists to study objects far too cold to
  radiate in the visible range (dwarf starts and
  interstellar gas clouds)
• 3 instruments are carried onboard the HSO
• PACS (photometer and spectrometer)
• SPIRE (photometer and spectrometer)
• HIFI (hi-res heterdyne spectrometer)
• These instruments act in tandem to provide
  spatial information and resolve high resolution
  spectra
• Other interesting features
• 3.5 m wide primary light collecting mirror
  (largest of any space telescope)
• Employs a cryostat to eliminate background IR
  noise, through the use of liquid He cooling
  technology, which is sufficient to cool the
  telescope and allow 3 years usage lifetime
• Concept art courtesy of JPL Herschel Space
  Observatory Website

24
Herschel Space Observatory Mission (Contd)

• The Orion constellation as seen in visible light
  and IR light. One can tell the obvious
  differences that IR radiation reveal about
  stellar objects in that region of sky that do not
  radiate in the visible spectrum (Photos courtesy
  of JPLs Herschel Space Observatory Website)

25
Herschel Space observatory Mission (Contd)

• This mission is not technically employing new
  science in that the main probing equipment is
  based on IR imaging, technology also found in
  night vision goggles. However, the spectral
  range of far infrared (FIR) and submillimetre
  (SMM) has traditionally been an underdeveloped
  area for radiation detection because of its
  energy level, a region that lies between high
  quantum and low classical energies. The HIFI
  detector has special adaptations which allow
  indirect photon detection, and employ among
  others, tunneling and superconductor technology
• Periphery equipment and techniques also showcase
  some new technology, such as liquid He cooling
  technology, and other cold electronics
  technology which allow electronics to operate at
  the low temperatures (near 0K) required for
  unclouded IR radiation detection
• All this technology is developed so that spectra
  from distant galaxies (redshifted) or close
  galaxies with low energy can be accurately
  analyzed from a variety of facets, yeilding
  results which hopefully will address
• Scientific goals of mission
• Find out about galaxy formation and galactic
  radiation sources
• Further understanding of evolution of stars and
  interstellar medium in galaxies
• Further understanding in galactic chemistry
• Find out about molecular chemistry of planets,
  comets, and asteroids
• Why Herschel? The Herschel Space Observatory is
  named after the Sir William Herschel, a British
  scientist who discovered the IR EM radiation
  range in the 1800s

26
Mission Jason-1

• Follow-up to Topex-Poseidon Mission
• Joint venture between United States and France
• Takes simultaneous data for now.
• Better Technology
• Is it worth it?

27
Quick Scatterometer

• Launched on June 19, 1999
• QuickSCAT (JPL)
• Circles Earth at an altitude of 800 kilometers
  (500 miles) once every 101 minutes.
• The SeaWinds on QuikSCAT mission is a "quick
  recovery" mission to fill the gap created by the
  loss of data from the NASA Scatterometer (NSCAT),
  when the satellite it was flying on lost power in
  June 1997. The SeaWinds instrument on the
  QuikSCAT satellite is a specialized microwave
  radar that measures near-surface wind speed and
  direction under all weather and cloud conditions
  over Earth's oceans.
• Objectives
• acquire all-weather, high resolution measurements
  of near surface winds over global oceans,
• determine atmospheric forcing, ocean, response,
  and air-sea interaction mechanisms,
• combine wind data with other measurements from
  other instruments to help us understand the
  mechanisms of global climate change and weather
  patterns,
• study both annual and semi-annual rain forest
  vegetation changes,
• and study daily/seasonal sea ice edge movement
  and Arctic/Antarctic ice pack changes.
• Aims To improve weather forecasts near
  coastlines by using wind data in numerical
  weather- and wave-prediction models. And to
  improve storm warning and monitoring
• Launch Vehicle Titan II
• Mission Life 2 years (3 years consumables)
• Orbit Sun-synchronous, 803 km, 98.6 inclination
  orbit
• Latest News NASA's QuikScat Captures First-Ever
  South Atlantic Hurricane (March 29, 2004)
• NASA Satellite Finds Something Fishy About Santa
  Ana Winds (March 11, 2004)
• NASA Satellites Help Improve Ocean Condition
  Forecasts (January 29, 2004)