ARRM

ARRM - Asteroid-Redirect-Robotic-Mission

The Asteroid Redirect Mission will provide an initial demonstration of several spaceflight capabilities we will need to send astronauts deeper into space, and eventually, to Mars," said NASA Associate Administrator Robert Lightfoot. "The option to retrieve a boulder from an asteroid will have a direct impact on planning for future human missions to deep space and begin a new era of spaceflight."

The agency plans to announce the specific asteroid selected for the mission no earlier than 2019, approximately a year before launching the robotic spacecraft. Before an asteroid is considered a valid candidate for the mission, scientists must first determine its characteristics, in addition to size, such as rotation, shape and precise orbit. NASA has identified three valid candidates for the mission so far: Itokawa, Bennu and 2008 EV5. The agency expects to identify one or two additional candidates each year leading up to the mission.

ARRM Mission Highlights

(1) The Asteroid Redirect Vehicle (ARV), powered by advanced Solar Electric Propulsion, is deployed to rendevous with a large asteroid. (2) The ARV prepares to descend to theasteroid surface. (3) The ARV captures a boulder from the asteroid’s surface. (4) The ARV demonstrates planetary defense on a hazardous-size asteroid before it (5) begins its transit toward a stable orbit around the moon. (6) The powerful Space Launch System rocket leaves Earth (7) with two crew members (8) aboard the Orion spacecraft. (9) The astronauts conduct spacewalks to investigate the asteroid boulder before returning to Earth with samples.

News: March 25, 2015

ARRM Option B Selected