Comet Hopper
 Concept art of Comet Hopper | |||||||||||||
| Names | CHopper | ||||||||||||
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| Mission type | Comet exploration | ||||||||||||
| Operator | NASA | ||||||||||||
| Mission duration | Proposed (Cancelled): 7.3 years | ||||||||||||
| Spacecraft properties | |||||||||||||
| Manufacturer | Goddard | ||||||||||||
| Start of mission | |||||||||||||
| Launch date | 2016 | ||||||||||||
| Rocket | Cape Canaveral, LC-41 | ||||||||||||
| Contractor | ULA | ||||||||||||
| 46P/Wirtanen lander | |||||||||||||
| Landing date | 2022 | ||||||||||||
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Comet Hopper (CHopper) was a proposed
NASA Goddard Spaceflight Center to manage the mission.[1]
History
The Comet Hopper mission was one of three Discovery Program finalists that received US$3 million in May 2011 to develop a detailed concept study.[2]
The other two missions were InSight and Titan Mare Explorer. After a review in August 2012, NASA selected the InSight mission.[3]
Scientific goals
The CHopper mission had three primary science goals for the 7.3 years of its lifetime. At roughly 4.5
coma - the nebulous envelope around the nucleus of a comet. The remote mapping would also allow for any nucleus structure, geologic processes, and coma mechanisms to be determined. After arriving at Comet Wirtanen, the spacecraft would have approached and landed, then subsequently hopped to other locations on the comet. As the comet approached the sun, the spacecraft would land and hop multiple times to record surface changes as the comet became more active.[1][4]
The final landing would occur at 1.5 AU.
See also
References
- ^ a b "Planetary Science Division Update" (PDF). NASA. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 14, 2011. Retrieved May 23, 2011.
- ^ Taylor, Kate (9 May 2011). "NASA picks project shortlist for next Discovery mission". TG Daily. Archived from the original on 6 October 2018. Retrieved 28 October 2015.
- ^ Vastag, Brian (August 20, 2012). "NASA will send robot drill to Mars in 2016". The Washington Post.
- ^ "Maryland scientists vie for NASA missions". The Baltimore Sun. Archived from the original on September 26, 2012. Retrieved June 2, 2011.
External links
- Press Releases
- News Articles
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