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Robotic Spacecraft (Astronomy, Planetary, Earth, Solar/Heliophysics) => Space Science Coverage => Topic started by: K-P on 03/24/2019 07:22 pm

Title: Athena flyby mission to Pallas (a.k.a. Psyche "piggyback ride")
Post by: K-P on 03/24/2019 07:22 pm

There's no separate thread for this (?), so I will start one.

So, this is a proposed flyby mission to Pallas.
And it seems that it could be done fast & cheap when flying with Psyche and using Mars gravity assist.
Luckily also the location of Pallas in its very inclined orbit by that time is such, that it is making this mission possible.

I am very excited about this mission concept, let's hope it will become a real mission and it will get the chance to fly. Especially because Pallas is the last "major" object unexplored in the inner Solar System and this flyby would be just the sort of exploration these new concepts of using smallsats are making now possible, also with less money & resources.

One of the recent news links:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/brucedorminey/2019/03/10/proposed-nasa-smallsat-mission-could-be-first-to-visit-pallas-our-third-largest-asteroid/#69d479ac1342

This is exactly one clever way exploration should be done in parallel with ambitious flagship missions.
Athene, Trident, MHS... Let's hope we will see some more of this in the future.

Title: Re: Athena flyby mission to Pallas (a.k.a. Psyche "piggyback ride")
Post by: vjkane on 03/24/2019 07:36 pm

Here is a link to the LPSC 2019 abstract

http://www.hou.usra.edu/meetings/lpsc2019/pdf/2225.pdf (http://www.hou.usra.edu/meetings/lpsc2019/pdf/2225.pdf)

Title: Re: Athena flyby mission to Pallas (a.k.a. Psyche "piggyback ride")
Post by: K-P on 02/12/2020 05:24 pm

Some recent news about Pallas,
so it is becoming more and more interesting object day by day...

Massive asteroid Pallas has a violent, cratered past, study reveals
https://www.space.com/asteroid-pallas-craters-violent-history.html (https://www.space.com/asteroid-pallas-craters-violent-history.html)

(Link to the original study is in the article)

Does anyone have any news about Athena mission?
I thought it would have been officially selected/rejected by now...?

Title: Re: Athena flyby mission to Pallas (a.k.a. Psyche "piggyback ride")
Post by: vjkane on 02/12/2020 08:59 pm

Per the PI’s website Athena was rated Cat 1or fully selectable. It however wasn’t one of the three selected. The PI talks about proposing Athena again perhaps for the selection this spring

I believe that it’s not uncommon for there to be more Cat 1 proposals than slots for selection. I was disappointed

Title: Re: Athena flyby mission to Pallas (a.k.a. Psyche "piggyback ride")
Post by: sdsds on 11/14/2023 10:41 pm

Apologies for necro-posting on this thread. Is it correct the Athena smallsat proposal would have used a Mars flyby gravity-assist to make the heliocentric plane change needed to reach 2-Pallas?

The exact trajectory for this must have been calculated for the proposed Psyche ride-share but that opportunity is now in the past. Do similar trajectories exist for subsequent launch windows, or was this a one-off opportunity?

Attached for reference is a graphic showing the Psyche mission trajectory with its Mars gravity assist.