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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 19 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2009

An Overview of the Jupiter Europa Orbiter Concept's Europa Science Phase Orbit Design

Jupiter Europa Orbiter (JEO), the proposed NASA element of the proposed joint NASA-ESA Europa Jupiter System Mission (EJSM), could launch in February 2020 and conceivably arrive at Jupiter in December of 2025. The concept is to perform a multi-year study of Europa and the Jupiter system, including 30 months of Jupiter system science and a comprehensive Europa orbit phase of 9 months. This paper provides an overview of the JEO concept and describes the Europa Science phase orbit design and the related science priorities, model pay-load and operations scenarios needed to conduct the Europa Science phase. This overview is for planning and discussion purposes only.

Lock, Robert E.↗
NASA NTRS2011

Space Radiation Effects and Reliability Consideration for the Proposed Jupiter Europa Orbiter

The proposed Jupiter Europa Orbiter (JEO) mission to explore the Jovian moon Europa poses a number of challenges. The spacecraft must operate for about seven years during the transit time to the vicinity of Jupiter, and then endure unusually high radiation levels during exploration and orbiting phases. The ability to withstand usually high total dose levels is critical for the mission, along with meeting the high reliability standards for flagship NASA missions. Reliability of new microelectronic components must be sufficiently understood to meet overall mission requirements.The proposed Jupiter Europa Orbiter (JEO) mission to explore the Jovian moon Europa poses a number of challenges. The spacecraft must operate for about seven years during the transit time to the vicinity of Jupiter, and then endure unusually high radiation levels during exploration and orbiting phases. The ability to withstand usually high total dose levels is critical for the mission, along with meeting the high reliability standards for flagship NASA missions. Reliability of new microelectronic components must be sufficiently understood to meet overall mission requirements.

semiconductor devices↗
NASA NTRS2001

Europa Orbiter Exploration Strategies

The Europa Orbiter mission is planned as the next stage of Europa exploration. Its primary goals are to search for definitive evidence of a subsurface ocean, to characterize the ice crust and ice/water interface, and to prepare for future surface/sub-surface missions. Additional information is contained in the original extended abstract.

Johnson, T. V.↗
NASA NTRS2009

Return to Europa: Overview of the Jupiter Europa Orbiter Mission

Missions to explore Europa have been imagined ever since the Voyager mission first suggested that Europa was geologically very young. Subsequently, Galileo supplied fascinating new insights into that satellite's secrets. The Jupiter Europa Orbiter (JEO) would be the NASA-led portion of the Europa Jupiter System Mission (EJSM), an international mission with orbiters developed by NASA, ESA and possibly JAXA. JEO would address a very important subset of the complete EJSM science objectives and is designed to function alone or in conjunction with ESA's Jupiter Ganymede Orbiter (JGO).

radiation↗
NASA NTRS2002

Europa orbiter mission concept

The challenges of the Europa Orbiter mission are the substantial energy required for a direct trajectory, the long duration of the mission, the high total-radiation dose, and the need for radioisotope thermoelectric generators.

Europa orbiter Europa↗
NASA NTRS2001

Seismoball: A Small Europa Orbiter Drop-Off Probe for Early Exploration of the Europan Surface

Recent magnetometry data received from Galileo indicate that the most likely explanation for the magnetic signature there is indeed a global conducting layer below the surface. This conducting layer is well matched by a salty, mineral rich strata beneath the Europan ice crust or a salt water ocean. Galileo imaging results show a variety of terrain types thought to contain young material; for example, lineaments, chaotic terrain, and eruption features. Additionally, Galileo images have shown indications of areas of up-welling where subsurface material periodically gets pushed to the surface due to the forces of fracturing, butting, and refreezing of the ice sheet. While Europa Orbiter will provide close-flyby high resolution images, as well as magnetometry, spectroscopy and other remote sensing data of the surface, it will not be able to provide essential engineering data like surface hardness and surface ice structure needed to support eventual landed missions. Additionally, ice chemical composition at microscopic scales can only be studied in detail through in situ instrumentation. Seismoball is a small probe designed to be injected into a surface intersect orbit around Europa. Using small reverse thrusters, the probe will be capable of nulling the high horizontal injection velocity as it approaches the 2 km surface injection altitude, thus allowing it to fall to the surface at an impact velocity of < 100m/sec (much less than the DS-2 impact velocities). The external breakaway thruster structure and crushable exterior shell absorb the impact energy while allowing the science instrument suite to remain intact. JPL has already started analyzing the entry dynamics and designing/building a small, low mass probe which will withstand the impact g-forces and fit as a 'carry-on' on board the Europa Orbiter. The probe will carry a suite of 5-6 micro-instruments for imaging the surface (both microscopic and far-field), surface and shallow subsurface ice temperatures, surface hardness, crustal dynamics and periodicity, and compositional chemistry. If selected, this flight development activity will provide a unique science opportunity and adjunct to the primary Orbiter science mission. The final flight system will be designed to accommodate orbiter mass, volume, and power interface constraints, as well as entry dynamics, g-load mitigation, and arbitrary landing orientation.

Tamppari, L.↗
NASA NTRS2008

Solar-Powered Europa Orbiter Design Study (2007)

The feasibility of implementing a solar-powered mission around Europa has been evaluated periodically over the last decade. Most recently, an assessment was performed as part of the 2006 Europa Explorer (EE) Study, which evaluated the practicality of implementing that mission design with large solar arrays instead of radioisotope power systems (RPS). This previous study went into some depth in considering the issues related to the use of solar arrays in the Europa orbit illumination and radiation environment. The study concluded that an all-solar option was impractical to meet the science objectives as defined in that study by the science team. This conclusion resulted from the prohibitive mass, packaging and articulation issues associated with the very large (approx.300 sq m) solar arrays required to accommodate frequent eclipse periods associated with the particular Europa orbit used.

Europa↗
NASA NTRS2011

Jupiter Europa Orbiter Architecture Definition Process

The proposed Jupiter Europa Orbiter mission, planned for launch in 2020, is using a new architectural process and framework tool to drive its model-based systems engineering effort. The process focuses on getting the architecture right before writing requirements and developing a point design. A new architecture framework tool provides for the structured entry and retrieval of architecture artifacts based on an emerging architecture meta-model. This paper describes the relationships among these artifacts and how they are used in the systems engineering effort. Some early lessons learned are discussed.

requirements analysis↗
NASA NTRS1999

Automated Design of the Europa Orbiter Tour

In this paper we investigate tours of the Jovian satellites Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto for the Europa Orbiter Mission. The principal goal of the tour design is to lower arrival V for the final Europa encounter while meeting all of the design constraints.

Europa↗
NASA NTRS2000

Automated Design of the Europa Orbiter Tour

In this paper we investigate tours of the Jovian satellites Europa Ganymede, and Callisto for the Europa Orbiter Mission. The principal goal of the tour design is to lower arrival V_ for the final Europa encounter while meeting all of the design constraints. Key constraints arise from considering the total time of the tour and the radiation dosage of a tour. These tours may employ 14 or more encounters with the Jovian satellites. hence there is an enormous number of possible sequences of these satellites to investigate. We develop a graphical method that greatly aids the design process.

Heaton, Andrew F.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Europa Orbiter mission options

In August 2000, an independent assessment of the Europa Orbiter baseline mission was performed to evaluate the planned implementation. As part of this activity, multiple alternative mission concepts were investigated that could meet the full science objectives as well as concepts that could meet a reduced set of science objectives.

Europa mission architecture↗
NASA NTRS2000

Automated Design of the Europa Orbiter Tour

In this paper we investigate tours of the Jovian satellites Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto for the Europa Orbiter Mission. The principal goal of the tour design is to lower arrival V(sub infinity) for the final Europa encounter while meeting all of the design constraints. Key constraints arise from considering the total time of the tour and the radiation dosage of a tour. These tours may employ 14 or more encounters with the Jovian satellites, hence there is an enormous number of possible sequences of these satellites to investigate. We develop a graphical method that greatly aids the design process.

Heaton, Andrew F.↗
NASA NTRS2001

Europa Orbiter: Mass Memory Requirements and Status

This viewgraph presentation gives an overview of the Europa Orbiter's mass memory requirements and status. Details are given on the challenge of the mission to Europa, baseline size requirements, implementations considered, candidate technologies, prime technologies and methodology, and a proposed solution and implementation. Flash and non-volatile memory technologies are described.

Arens, Wayne↗
NASA NTRS2001

Enabling technology for NASA's Europa Orbiter mission

The authors will describe the drivers for the subsystem requirements in the Europa Orbiter mission, in particular the mission criticality of the IMU and the predicted natural space radiation environments that require enabling technologies to be identified. Descriptions of the Europa IMU and the HRG technology are given with emphasis on the inherent radiation hardness in the HRG principle of operation and sensor construction, as well as the steps taken to further harden the sensor electronics.

inertial measurement unit inertial reference unit ↗