Target NEO: Open Global Community NEO Workshop Report

DRAFT: RELEASED FOR PUBLIC COMMENTregard; the range of total mission ∆v, duration, and Earth departure season offered by known NEOsand how that maps to mission mass requirements; how our current understanding of astrodynamicNEO accessibility is related to NEO detection and observation constraints; and launch architectureconsiderations, particularly with regard to the consequences of relying on multiple launches toperform an HSF mission to a NEO. The basic profile of a round-trip mission to a NEO is shownin Figure 1, with major maneuvers and segment flight times labeled and described.Figure 1: Profile of a Round-Trip HSF Mission to a NEOSeveral independent studies have been conducted throughout the past couple of years to analyzethe known NEO population in search of those which may be accessible for HSF missions, withparticular emphasis on identifying NEOs that offer low ∆v, short-duration mission opportunitieswith Earth departure dates between 2025 and 2030 [1, 2, 3]. Some studies have also exploredthe utilization of solar electric propulsion for missions to NEOs [4] and other destinations beyondLEO [5]. In September of 2010, NASA began a NEO accessibility survey effort known as the NearEarth Object (NEO) Human Space Flight (HSF) Accessible Targets Study (NHATS). Phase I ofthe NHATS was completed by the end of September 2010, and Phase II was completed by thebeginning of March 2011. The entire known NEO population at the time was processed in both thePhase I and Phase II studies, though the trajectory processing parameters were revised for PhaseII. Subsequent phases of the NHATS may be conducted as additional NEOs are discovered.DRAFT: RELEASED FOR PUBLIC COMMENT 5