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NASA NTRS2019

Planetary Science with Small Satellites: Opportunities and Challenges

Small satellites aren't anything particularly new. Earth orbiting small satellites go back 30 years or more. What is new is the proliferation and access to small satellite technologies and flight opportunities. This has been in large part due to the advent of the "cubesat" model, initially a means to develop student's engineering skills, but has since evolved into an industry and accepted method within government space agencies. Until very recently these smallsats were limited to Earth orbiting missions, but with the successful flight of the MarCO spacecraft and the upcoming launch of EM-1 cubesats, the Moon, Mars and beyond are now within reach. While all this is good news, we still have a ways to go before smallsats become true planetary science tools. One could argue that Deep Space 2 was the first planetary smallsat, launched in 1999 and having a mass of 2.3 kg (each probe) it hoped to demonstrate that "real" science could be done with a small (and less expensive) package. The DS2 failure shelved the idea of smallsats (even chilling some to "Class D" planetary missions in general) for nearly two decades. NASA has slowly come back around to smallsats for planetary missions, going so far as to support a range of mission studies (the Planetary Science Deep Space SmallSat Studies, or PSDS3, Program) and the creation of a new Program (SIMPLEx) to developed such missions for opportunistic flights. The MarCO success was hugely important in maintaining (and building) this forward momentum. However, we still have yet to demonstrate "real" science from a planetary smallsat and there are some fundamental disconnects between expectation and reality. This talk will discuss some of the opportunities and challenges that reside with planetary smallsats, focusing on two examples: LunaH-Map (the first SIMPLEx cubesat) and Aeolus (a Mars PSDS3 smallsat concept).

Colaprete, Anthony↗
NASA NTRS2018

Development and Implementation of Aseptic Operations for the MOMA-Mass Spectrometer

The ExoMars 2020 Rover is a life detection mission, and is classified as Planetary Protection (PP) Mission Category IVb, the first IVb mission since the Viking missions. Mars Organic Molecule Analyzer Mass Spectrometer (MOMA-MS) is a life detection instrument for the rover. To meet the stringent bioburden requirement of 0.03 spore/m2, the MS is subjected to Dry Heat Microbial Reduction (DHMR) to decrease the bioburden from a measured 88 spores/m2 to 0.009 spores/m2. After DHMR, exposure of the sample path must be kept to an absolute minimum and requires aseptic operations. Aseptic operations include determining the safe exposure time based on the surface area of exposure and particle fallout expected in the aseptic ISO class 5 workspace, preparing an aseptic ISO class 5 workspace, and using sterile garments and tools. During the exposure activity the environment is monitored with active and passive fallout for bioburden and real time airborne particle counts. Sterile tools are handled by a two person team so the operator touches only the tool and not the exterior surfaces of the sterilization pouch, and a sterile operating field is established as a safe place to organize tools or parts during the aseptic operations. In cases where aseptic operations are not feasible, localized DHMR is used after exposure. Any breach in the PP cleanliness can necessitate repeating instrument level DHMR, which not only has significant cost and schedule implications, but also is a risk to hardware that is not rated for repeated long exposures to high temperatures.

Aseptic processing↗
NASA NTRS2015

Kepler Planet Formation

Kepler has vastly increased our knowledge of planets and planetary systems located close to stars. The new data shows surprising results for planetary abundances, planetary spacings and the distribution of planets on a mass-radius diagram. The implications of these results for theories of planet formation will be discussed.

planetary abundances↗
NASA NTRS2019

OGLE-2015-BLG-1670Lb: A Cold Neptune beyond the Snow Line in the Provisional WFIRST Microlensing Survey Field

We present the analysis of the microlensing event OGLE-2015-BLG-1670, detected in a high-extinction field very close to the Galactic plane. Due to the dust extinction along the line of sight, this event was too faint to be detected before it reached the peak of magnification. The microlensing light-curve models indicate a high-magnification event with a maximum of A(max)≳ 200, very sensitive to planetary deviations. An anomaly in the light curve has been densely observed by the microlensing surveys MOA, KMTNet, and OGLE. From the light-curve modeling, we find a planetary anomaly characterized by a planet-to-host mass ratio, q=(1.00 (sup+0.18, sub -0.16) x 10(exp -4), at the peak recently identified in the mass-ratio function of microlensing planets. Thus, this event is interesting to include in future statistical studies about planet demography. We have explored the possible degeneracies and find two competing planetary models resulting from the s ↔ 1/s degeneracy. However, because the projected separation is very close to s = 1, the physical implications for the planet for the two solutions are quite similar, except for the value of s. By combining the light-curve parameters with a Galactic model, we have estimated the planet mass M(2)=17.9(sup +9.6,sub-8.8)M(ꚛ) and the lens distance D(L) = 6.7(sup +1.0, sub -1.3) kpc, corresponding to a Neptune-mass planet close to the Galactic bulge. Such events with a low absolute latitude (|b| ≈1ᵒ.1) are subject to both high extinction and more uncertain source distances, two factors that may affect the mass measurements in the provisional Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope fields. More events are needed to investigate the potential trade-off between the higher lensing rate and the difficulty in measuring masses in these low-latitude fields.

Clément Ranc↗
NASA NTRS2021

Two Bright M Dwarfs Hosting Ultra-Short-Period Super-Earths with Earth-like Compositions

We present observations of two bright M dwarfs (TOI-1634 and TOI-1685: J = 9.5–9.6) hosting ultra-short-period (USP) planets identified by the TESS mission. The two stars are similar in temperature, mass, and radius (T eff ≈ 3500 K, M ⋆ ≈ 0.45–0.46 M ⊙ , and R ⋆ ≈ 0.45–0.46 R ⊙ ), and the planets are both super-Earth size (1.25 R ⊕ < R p < 2.0 R ⊕ ). For both systems, light curves from ground-based photometry exhibit planetary transits, whose depths are consistent with those from the TESS photometry. We also refine the transit ephemerides based on the ground-based photometry, finding the orbital periods of P = 0.9893436 ± 0.0000020 days and P = 0.6691416 ± 0.0000019 days for TOI-1634b and TOI-1685b, respectively. Through intensive radial velocity (RV) observations using the InfraRed Doppler (IRD) instrument on the Subaru 8.2 m telescope, we confirm the planetary nature of the TOIs and measure their masses: 10.14 ± 0.95 M ⊕ and 3.43 ± 0.93 M ⊕ for TOI-1634b and TOI-1685b, respectively, when the observed RVs are fitted with a single-planet circular-orbit model. Combining those with the planet radii of R p = 1.749 ± 0.079 R ⊕ (TOI-1634b) and 1.459 ± 0.065 R ⊕ (TOI-1685b), we find that both USP planets have mean densities consistent with an Earth-like internal composition, which is typical for small USP planets. TOI-1634b is currently the most massive USP planet in this category, and it resides near the radius valley, which makes it a benchmark planet in the context of discussing the size limit of rocky planet cores as well as testing the formation scenarios for USP planets. Excess scatter in the RV residuals for TOI-1685 suggests the presence of a possible secondary planet or unknown activity/instrumental noise in the RV data, but further observations are required to check those possibilities.

Teruyuki Hirano↗
NASA NTRS2014

It's a Trap! A Review of MOMA and Other Ion Traps in Space or Under Development

Since the Viking Program, quadrupole mass spectrometer (QMS) instruments have been used to explore a wide survey of planetary targets in our solar system, including (from the inner to outer reaches): Venus (Pioneer); our moon (LADEE); Mars (Viking, Phoenix, and Mars Science Laboratory); and, Saturns largest moon Titan (Cassini-Huygens). More recently, however, ion trap mass spectrometer (ITMS) instruments have found a niche as smaller, versatile alternatives to traditional quadrupole mass analyzers, capable of in situ characterization of planetary environments and the search for organic matter. For example, whereas typical QMS systems are limited to a mass range up to 500 Da and normally require multiple RF frequencies and pressures of less than 10(exp -6) mbar for optimal operation, ITMS instruments commonly reach upwards of 1000 Da or more on a single RF frequency, and function in higher pressure environments up to 10(exp -3) mbar.

ion trap↗
NASA NTRS2000

Computing Needs for Astrobiology: Models of Planetary Formation

Theories of planet formation indicate that a diverse range of physical and chemical processes determine the characteristics of a planetary system. Extensive numerical modeling is required to understand how planetary systems form, and to make quantitative assessments of the factors which determine the masses, spacings and volatile compound inventories of planets and small bodies within a planetary system. Fluid flow problems associated with the formation and evolution of protoplanetary disks include specific local calculations to provide physical insight, which are best performed on workstations, and large multifaceted simulations which require supercomputers with large memories. Formation and early growth of planetesimals display a similar range of computational requirements. Modeling the late stages of planetary accumulation is very CPU intensive, as it requires following a simple system of approx. hundreds of bodies for millions of dynamical (orbital) times. These varied computational needs could be met in the most cost-effective manner by a diverse set of computers, including workstations for individual PI's and dedicated time on various types of supercomputers which are specialized for differing tasks.

Lissauer, Jack J.↗
NASA NTRS1988

In situ measurements of thermospheric composition, temperature, and winds by mass spectrometry

Mass spectrometry, in which a beam of electrons ionizes a sample of atmospheric gas and then analyses the ions thus produced to determine the concentration of each species in the sample, is presently evaluated as a basis for the study of earth atmosphere and other planetary atmospheres' properties. Recent applications of in situ mass spectrometry have measured thermospheric neutral gas composition, temperatures, and winds, with a spatial resolution sufficiently high to reveal previously unsuspected atmospheric variability. It is expected that analyses of these data will lead to a more detailed understanding of the deposition processes governing the thermosphere's highly variable structure.

Spencer, N. W.↗
NASA NTRS2004

The Search for Young Planetary Systems And the Evolution of Young Stars

The Space Interferometer Mission (SIM) will provide a census of planetary systems by con- ducting a broad survey of 2,000 stars that will be sensitive to the presence of planets with masses as small as approx. 15 Earth masses (1 Uranus mass) and a deep survey of approx. 250 of the nearest, stars with a mass limit of approx.3 Earth masses. The broad survey will include stars spanning a wide range of ages, spectral types, metallicity, and other important parameters. Within this larger context, the Young Stars and Planets Key Project will study approx. 200 stars with ages from 1 Myr to 100 Myr to understand the formation and dynamical evolution of gas giant planets. The SIM Young Stars and Planets Project will investigate both the frequency of giant planet formation and the early dynamical history of planetary systems. We will gain insight into how common the basic architecture of our solar system is compared with recently discovered systems with close-in giant planets by examining 200 of the nearest (less than 150 pc) and youngest (1-100 Myr) solar-type stars for planets. The sensitivity of the survey for stars located 140 pc away is shown in the planet mass-separation plane. We expect to find anywhere from 10 (assuming that only the presently known fraction of stars. 5-7%, has planets) to 200 (all young stars have planets) planetary systems. W-e have set our sensitivity threshold to ensure the detection of Jupiter-mass planets in the critical orbital range of 1 to 5 AU. These observations, when combined with the results of planetary searches of mature stars, will allow us to test theories of planetary formation and early solar system evolution. By searching for planets around pre-main sequence stars carefully selected to span an age range from 1 to 100 Myr, we will learn a t what epoch and with what frequency giant planets are found at the water-ice snowline where they are expected to form. This will provide insight into the physical mechanisms by which planets form and migrate from their place of birth, and about their survival rate. With these data in hand, we will provide data, for the first time, on such important questions as: What processes affect the formation and dynamical evolution of planets? When and where do planets form? What is initial mass distribution of planetary systems around young stars? How might planets be destroyed? What is the origin of the eccentricity of planetary orbits? What is the origin of the apparent dearth of companion objects between planets and brown dwarfs seen in mature stars? The observational strategy is a compromise between the desire to extend the planetary mass function as low as possible and the essential need to build up sufficient statistics on planetary occurrence. About half of the sample will be used to address the "where" and "when" of planet formation. We will study classical T Tauri stars (cTTs) which have massive accretion disks and post- accretion, weak-lined T Tauri stars (wTTs). Preliminary estimates suggest the sample will consist of approx. 30% cTTs and approx. 70% wTTs, driven in part by the difficulty of making accurate astrometric measurements toward objects with strong variability or prominent disks.

Beichman, Charles A.↗
NASA NTRS2019

Spitzer Parallax of OGLE-2018-BLG-0596: A Low-mass-ratio Planet around an M Dwarf

We report the discovery of a Spitzer microlensing planet OGLE-2018-BLG-0596Lb, with preferred planet-host mass ratio q ~ 2 × 10(exp −4). The planetary signal, which is characterized by a short (~1 day) "bump" on the rising side of the lensing light curve, was densely covered by ground-based surveys. We find that the signal can be explained by a bright source that fully envelops the planetary caustic, i.e., a "Hollywood" geometry. Combined with the source proper motion measured from Gaia, the Spitzer satellite parallax measurement makes it possible to precisely constrain the lens physical parameters. The preferred solution, in which the planet perturbs the minor image due to lensing by the host, yields a Uranus-mass planet with a mass of M(p) = 13.9 ± 1.6 M(⊕) orbiting a mid M-dwarf with a mass of M(h) = 0.23 ± 0.03 M(⊙). There is also a second possible solution that is substantially disfavored but cannot be ruled out, for which the planet perturbs the major image. The latter solution yields M(p) = 1.2 ± 0.2 M(⊕) and M(h) = 0.15 ± 0.02 M(⊙). By combining the microlensing and Gaia data together with a Galactic model, we find in either case that the lens lies on the near side of the Galactic bulge at a distance D(L) ~ 6 ± 1 kpc. Future adaptive optics observations may decisively resolve the major image/minor image degeneracy.

Youn Kil Jung↗
NASA NTRS2003

Equivalent Mass versus Life Cycle Cost for Life Support Technology Selection

The decision to develop a particular life support technology or to select it for flight usually depends on the cost to develop and fly it. Other criteria - performance, safety, reliability, crew time, and risk - are considered, but cost is always an important factor. Because launch cost accounts for most of the cost of planetary missions, and because launch cost is directly proportional to the mass launched, equivalent mass has been used instead of cost to select life support technology. The equivalent mass of a life support system includes the estimated masses of the hardware and of the pressurized volume, power supply, and cooling system that the hardware requires. The equivalent mass is defined as the total payload launch mass needed to provide and support the system. An extension of equivalent mass, Equivalent System Mass (ESM), has been established for use in Advanced Life Support. A crew time mass-equivalent and sometimes other non-mass factors are added to equivalent mass to create ESM. Equivalent mass is an estimate of the launch cost only. For earth orbit rather than planetary missions, the launch cost is usually exceeded by the cost of Design, Development, Test, and Evaluation (DDT&E). Equivalent mass is used only in life support analysis. Life Cycle Cost (LCC) is much more commonly used. LCC includes DDT&E, launch, and operations costs. Since LCC includes launch cost, it is always a more accurate cost estimator than equivalent mass. The relative costs of development, launch, and operations vary depending on the mission design, destination, and duration. Since DDT&E or operations may cost more than launch, LCC may give a more accurate cost ranking than equivalent mass. To be sure of identifying the lowest cost technology for a particular mission, we should use LCC rather than equivalent mass.

Jones, Harry↗
NASA NTRS2011

Mission Implementation Constraints on Planetary Muon Radiography

Cost: Use heritage hardware, especially use a tested landing system to reduce cost (Phoenix or MSL EDL stage). The sky crane technology delivers higher mass to the surface and enables reaching targets at higher elevation, but at a higher mission cost. Rover vs. Stationary Lander: Rover-mounted instrument enables tomography, but the increased weight of the rover reduces the allowable payload weight. Mass is the critical design constraint for an instrument for a planetary mission. Many factors that are minor factors or do not enter into design considerations for terrestrial operation are important for a planetary application. (Landing site, diurnal temperature variation, instrument portability, shock/vibration)

entry, descent, and landing (EDL)↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Flight Envelope Assessment of SmallSat Aerocapture Trajectories at Venus and Mars

Aerocapture is an increasingly studied orbit insertion concept for small satellite (SmallSat) missions beyond low Earth orbit (LEO). Compared to fully propulsive methods, aerocapture reduces the orbit-insertion propellant mass by approaching on a hyperbolic path and using the planetary atmosphere to reduce the vehicle’s velocity such that the final target orbit is achieved. This allows for an increase in payload mass delivered to orbit and a reduction in launch-to-orbit time. To analyze the feasibility at Venus and Mars, aerocapture flight envelope analysis is conducted by assessing the guidable trajectory space during atmospheric flight given entry conditions, vehicle properties, target parameters, and planet-dependent trajectory dispersions. The Program to Optimize Simulated Trajectories II (POST2) is used to simulate both ballistic and lifting aerocapture trajectories with SmallSat-compatible aeroshell designs. The entry flight path angle is optimized to achieve a final target orbit for lift up/down and max/min control configurations. When plotted, the resulting area between the steep and shallow trajectories forms a flight envelope with planet-dependent ±3σ atmospheric, aerodynamic, and delivery state dispersion profiles applied. The results presented in this paper show that SmallSat aerocapture is feasible for lifting aeroshell designs at Mars and Venus as well as ballistic vehicle designs at Mars.

Jack A. Joshi↗
NASA NTRS2002

Miniaturized GC/MS instrumentation for in situ measurements: micro gas chromatography coupled with miniature quadrupole array and paul ion trap mass spectrometers

Miniaturized chemical instrumentation is needed for in situ measurements in planetary exploration and other spaceflight applications where factors such as reduction in payload requirements and enhanced robustness are important. In response to this need, we are 'continuing to develop miniaturized GC/MS instrumentation which combines chemical separations by gas chromatography (GC) with mass spectrometry (MS) to provide positive identification of chemical compounds in complex mixtures of gases, such as those found in the International Space Station's cabin atmosphere. Our design approach utilizes micro gas chromatography components coupled with either a miniature quadrupole mass spectrometer array (QMSA) or compact, high-resolution Paul ion trap.

GC/MC miniature mass spectrometry MEMS↗
NASA NTRS1988

Meteorites on Mars

Four types of meteoritic material should be found on Mars: (1) micrometeorites, many of which will survive atmospheric entry unmelted, which should fall relatively uniformly over the planet's surface, (2) ablation products from larger meteorites which ablate, break up and burn up in the Mars atmosphere, (3) debris from large, crater forming objects, which, by analogy to terrestrial and lunar impact events, will be concentrated in the crater ejecta blankets (except for rare, large events, such as the proposed C-T event on earth, which can distribute debris on a planetary scale), and (4) debris from the early, intense bombardment, which, in many areas of the planet, may now be incorporated into rocks by geologic processes subsequent to the intense bombardment era. To estimate the extent of meteoritic addition to indigenous Martian material, the meteoritic flux on Mars must be known. It is estimated that the overall flux is twice that for the Moon and 1.33 that for Earth. For small particles, whose orbital evolution is dominated by Poynting Robertson drag, the flux at Mars can be estimated from the Earth flux. The smaller Martian gravitational enhancement as well as the decrease in the spatial density of interplanetary dust with increasing heliocentric distance should reduce the flux of small particles at Mars to about 0.33 times the flux at Earth. Because of the smaller planetary cross-section the total infalling mass at Mars is then estimated to be 0.09 time the infalling mass in the micrometeorite size range at Earth.

Flynn, G. J.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Mesoscale acid deposition modeling studies

The work performed in support of the EPA/DOE MADS (Mesoscale Acid Deposition) Project included the development of meteorological data bases for the initialization of chemistry models, the testing and implementation of new planetary boundary layer parameterization schemes in the MASS model, the simulation of transport and precipitation for MADS case studies employing the MASS model, and the use of the TASS model in the simulation of cloud statistics and the complex transport of conservative tracers within simulated cumuloform clouds. The work performed in support of the NASA/FAA Wind Shear Program included the use of the TASS model in the simulation of the dynamical processes within convective cloud systems, the analyses of the sensitivity of microburst intensity and general characteristics as a function of the atmospheric environment within which they are formed, comparisons of TASS model microburst simulation results to observed data sets, and the generation of simulated wind shear data bases for use by the aviation meteorological community in the evaluation of flight hazards caused by microbursts.

Kaplan, Michael L.↗
NASA NTRS1999

Spectroscopic Study of HD 179821 (IRAS 19114+0002): Proto-Planetary Nebula or Supergiant?

A detailed chemical composition analysis of the bright post-AGB candidate HD 179821 (IRAS 19114 + 0002) is presented. The LTE analysis, based on high-resolution (R approximately equal 50,000) and high-quality (S/N approximately equal 300) spectra, yields atmospheric parameters T(sub eff) = 6750 K, log g = 0.5, and xi(sub t) = 5.25 km/s. The elemental abundance results of HD 179821 are found to be [Fe/H] = -0.1, [C/Fe] = +0.2, [N/Fe] = +1.3, [O/Fe] = +0.2, [alpha-process/Fe] = +0.5, and [s-process/Fe] = +0.4. These values clearly differ from the elemental abundances of Population I F supergiants. The C, N, and O abundances and the total CNO abundance value relative to Fe, [C+N+O/Fe] = +0.5, indicate that the photosphere of HD 179821 is contaminated with both the H- and He-burning products of the AGB phase. The evidence for He burning through the 3.alpha process and deep AGB mixing also comes from the observed overabundances of s-process elements. Remarkably, the abundance of the element Na is found to be very large, [Na/Fe] = +0.9. The ratio O/C = 2.6 indicates that the atmosphere is oxygen rich. The results of this abundance study support the argument that HD 179821 is a proto-planetary nebula,. probably with an intermediate-mass progenitor. However, the strength of the O I triplet lines at 7774 A and the distance derived from the interstellar Na I D1 and D2 components imply that the star is a luminous object (M(sub bol) approximately -8.9 +/- 1) and thus a massive supergiant. Thus, while this study contributes important new observational results for this star, an unambiguous determination of its evolutionary status has yet to be achieved.

Reddy, B. E.↗