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  Lockheed Martin proposal: "Plymouth Rock" early Orion mission to asteroids

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Author Topic:   Lockheed Martin proposal: "Plymouth Rock" early Orion mission to asteroids
Robert Pearlman
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Posts: 50516
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 09-02-2010 09:37 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Aviation Week: Lockheed Proposing Early Asteroid Exploration
Lockheed Martin says its "Plymouth Rock" mission proposal would reach a Near Earth Asteroid with astronauts using two Orion capsules and a dual-launch strategy as early as 2016 -- or nearly a decade ahead of the asteroid goal outlined by President Barack Obama in April.

Josh Hopkins, principal investigator at Lockheed Martin for advanced human exploration missions, will present the proposal, Plymouth Rock: Early Human Mission to Asteroids Using Orion Spacecraft, to the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) 2010 Conference & Exposition in Anaheim, Calif., on Aug. 30.

Six-month missions, as soon as 2016 or 2019, with two astronauts would reach out to a class of recently discovered asteroids, most no more than 10-80 yd. in diameter, in nearby orbits that pose difficulties similar to a lunar landing...


Credit: Lockheed Martin

Plymouth Rock calls for the launch of a crewed Orion on a Delta 4 or Ares 1 launcher, following the launch of an unmanned heavy-lift rocket slightly smaller than the proposed Ares V. The first launch would place a supplemental Orion and an Earth departure stage in orbit. Once linked, the Orion capsules -- docked nose-to-nose -- and the departure stage would start an outbound journey of about three months.

The proposed destination for a 2016 launch is asteroid 2008 HU4, 20-35 ft. in diameter, at an encounter distance of 2.5 million mi. In 2019, asteroid 2008 EA 9, of the same dimensions and 7.5 million mi. distant, could be accessible.

Upon reaching their destination, the astronauts would rendezvous but not attempt to land.

SpaceAholic
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Posts: 5246
From: Sierra Vista, Arizona
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 09-02-2010 10:58 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for SpaceAholic   Click Here to Email SpaceAholic     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
An orbit diagram for 2008 HU4; personally I'd recommend a visit to 161546 Schneeweis - its orbit is a tad eccentric (just like its namesake) but the hospitality is better.

KSCartist
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Posts: 3047
From: Titusville, FL
Registered: Feb 2005

posted 09-03-2010 04:24 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for KSCartist   Click Here to Email KSCartist     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Is the two person crew due to the limit on consumables available in the Orion? I think a mission that used to spacecraft (for redundancy) and a Node for living and working space would be a better idea. But I'm not a rocket scientist.

Obviously the more mass you put up the more fuel you need to leave LEO.

Love the project name though.

Lunar rock nut
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From: Oklahoma city, Oklahoma U.S.A.
Registered: Feb 2007

posted 09-04-2010 07:58 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Lunar rock nut   Click Here to Email Lunar rock nut     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Scott has an asteroid with his name on it. Why does this not surprise me.

Cool!

Blackarrow
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From: Belfast, United Kingdom
Registered: Feb 2002

posted 09-04-2010 11:28 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Blackarrow     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I don't see much point in going if you don't actually land on the asteroid, although "land" is hardly the right word. It would really be a matter of "docking." Perhaps some sort of harpoon device could be used to attach the spacecraft with a tether to the asteroid to allow astronauts wearing MMUs to take samples.

Robert Pearlman
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Posts: 50516
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 09-04-2010 11:49 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Lockheed Martin's white paper, Plymouth Rock An Early Human Mission to Near Earth Asteroids Using Orion Spacecraft, includes sample return as part of the mission with the "ability to support at least one spacewalk at the asteroid."
Although some other recent asteroid mission concepts envision 'landing' a piloted spacecraft on the asteroid, we see no reason to do this. Landing or docking the spacecraft to the asteroid provides no obvious operational advantages and would require development of a contact and anchor system.

Direct contact puts the spacecraft in danger of damage from free-floating surface material kicked up by the astronauts. It would also disturb the asteroid surface both with mechanical contact and thruster plume impingement. The asteroid would intermittently shadow the solar arrays and block line of sight for communications to Earth.

Instead, we would prefer to safely station the dual Orions on the order of 50-100 meters from the asteroid (a few times the asteroid diameter), well clear of both the surface and the asteroid's shadow. At this distance, the gravitational and thermal influences of the asteroid on the spacecraft are greatly reduced.

Instead of landing the spacecraft, free-floating astronauts would explore the asteroid using a propulsive backpack similar to the SAFER and Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU) systems. Based on consultation with astronaut Bruce McCandless, it should be feasible to develop a modern equivalent of the MMU suitable for asteroid operations.

One of the design requirements for the original MMU was to rescue astronauts from a tumbling Space Shuttle, whose dimensions and assumed rotation rates were quite similar to the expected size and motion of the target asteroids. Though it never had to demonstrate that capability, astronauts using the MMU did successfully match rotation rates with spinning satellites.

However, it has also been suggested to us by astronauts with ISS EVA experience that when working at one location for an extended period of time it is helpful to anchor oneself in place. Astronauts exploring an asteroid will want some means of temporarily attaching to the asteroid and then releasing, much like rock climbers.

The paper also addresses Orion's lack of an airlock:
For a two-person Plymouth Rock mission, both astronauts would enter the crew module of the Supplemental Orion and close the docking hatch to the Primary Orion. After venting the air in the Supplemental Orion, the astronauts open the side hatch, and one astronaut egresses to don his or her maneuvering backpack.

If the supplemental Orion is a standard capsule, the backpack and other EVA equipment would be stored externally on the Service Module. (Some changes would be required, such as adding external handholds to the SM which are currently only included on the CM).

The other astronaut remains inside the crew module, with the hatch open. This allows the second astronaut either to relatively quickly egress should the first astronaut require assistance with a task, or to remain inside and operate the spacecraft, such as to maneuver it to rescue the spacewalking astronaut in an emergency.

By remaining high above the surface, the astronaut in Orion can provide a bird's eye view of the asteroid. For example, this would help the spacewalking astronaut navigate and provide the capability for overhead context photography to document the location of each sample collected.

On the second day of spacewalks the astronauts can switch roles.

The alternative Orion Deep Space Vehicle would be designed to accommodate two advanced MMUs as well as EVA tools and science payloads on the external surface of the habitat module rather than the Service Module. The larger habitat module also opens up the possibility for a three-person crew. In this case, two astronauts would perform spacewalks simultaneously while the third remained inside the pressurized capsule of the Primary Orion.

Jay Chladek
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Posts: 2272
From: Bellevue, NE, USA
Registered: Aug 2007

posted 09-06-2010 10:51 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Jay Chladek   Click Here to Email Jay Chladek     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Anyone know if other targets have been considered for early Orion tests outside of Earth orbit? I was thinking of one of the S-IVB stages myself (such as Apollo 8s or 12s if they don't crash before and their orbits can be predicted again). Snoopy's ascent stage from Apollo 10 might also make a potential target if anyone can find out exactly what its orbit is. That would make for a pretty challenging mathmatical exercise for somebody in astro-physics. In both examples, samples could be taken from these man-made structures to get some data on how certain structures and materials behave a space environment over extremely long duration periods.

A flight in 2016 seems very unlikely, given the timelines Orion and booster development would have to hit before a single manned Orion could get off the pad. Still, it is nice to see some alternatives to get to an asteroid faster being considered.

E2M Lem Man
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From: Los Angeles CA. USA
Registered: Jan 2005

posted 09-07-2010 01:11 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for E2M Lem Man   Click Here to Email E2M Lem Man     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Upon a visit to the booth at Space 2010 in Anaheim, Lockheed-Martin had slick brochures about two projects, the other called "Next Steps Beyond Earth Orbit, Exploring the Moon's Hidden Farside from the L2 Lagrange Point." This called for long-duration fly-by missions swinging around the Moon to the L2 point to service a space stations and telescopes. All these depended upon a new heavy lift rocket.

Blackarrow
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Posts: 3604
From: Belfast, United Kingdom
Registered: Feb 2002

posted 09-07-2010 06:10 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Blackarrow     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Robert, thanks for dealing so comprehensively with my last post. That all makes sense to me. Now, is there the will to go ahead?

issman1
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Posts: 1106
From: UK
Registered: Apr 2005

posted 09-09-2010 04:35 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for issman1     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Blackarrow:
Now, is there the will to go ahead?

Aye, there's the rub

I would argue such a mission is imperative, to get humans out of the monotony of endless LEO missions and signify a message of hope for our future survival.

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