SpaceDev announced Tuesday that it has selected the near Earth asteroid "Nereus" for its first mission. The destination was chosen as a result of a study conducted for SpaceDev by Tony Spear, Mars Pathfinder project manager.
"Nereus appears to present several better and important science
opportunities including the potential of finding water and carbon
compounds on the asteroid, and the unique chance to compare on-site
measurements with ground-based measurements from Nereus' close approach to
Earth," said Jim Benson, SpaceDev, president and chief executive officer.
"We believe the Nereus mission offers the science community the widest
possible variety of science compared to other potential targets, and it
could maximize our chances of attracting paying customers."
Nereus, an Apollo-type near Earth asteroid (NEA), will pass within about
2.5 million miles of Earth in January of 2002, which is close enough for
ground-based radar installations and telescopes to gather detailed
information prior to NEAP's planned arrival about four months later. The
company commissioned Mr. Spear's study because management believed that
Nereus could be a more desirable destination than the original launch
target. Mr. Spear's study has appeared to confirm the advantages of
Nereus.
"Tony Spear, who led the recent NEAP feasibility study from June 15
through July 15, believes that Nereus is the quintessential near-Earth
asteroid mission," said Benson. Mr. Spear was the Mars Pathfinder Project
Manager, and recently retired from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)
after thirty years of successful deep-space science missions.
"Additionally, Mr. Spear highlighted the following attributes of Nereus
that could make it such an appealing project: it is a C-type asteroid
about 1 km in diameter with a well-known orbit between Mars and Earth.
Nereus is also scientifically interesting because it is carbonaceous, it
may have a high water content, and it may consist of many other types of
useful elements and volatiles," said Benson.
Benson noted that scientists who lobbied SpaceDev to change targets to
Nereus believe a project to Nereus could help shed light on the early
formation and composition of the solar system. "Furthermore, it could be
very interesting as a possible astrobiology research site since it may
possess most of the basic ingredients necessary for life, including a
reasonable temperature below its surface."
To reach Nereus, NEAP launch is planned for April 3, 2001 and will remain
in the Earth-moon system until January 12, 2002, when it should escape
Earth's gravity to encounter Nereus on about May 12, 2002. NEAP should
complete its primary mission by mid-June, 2002 if all proceeds according
to the current plan.
Originally, SpaceDev planned to launch NEAP by the middle to end of 2000,
but Benson noted that the new target is much more attractive
scientifically and its schedule is more accommodating to potential
payloads. It could now be possible to add lunar or Earth experiments to
the spacecraft therefore increasing potential additional revenue, possibly
including the search for water on the moon, prior to leaving the
Earth-moon system for Nereus.
"Due to Nereus' orbit and position compared to Earth, it is relatively
easy to reach given the capabilities of our planned propulsion system.
This, in turn, simplified many of the spacecraft support systems while
lowering costs, which were important factors in selecting this asteroid,"
said Benson.
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