Spacecraft Design Workshop - June 30, 2000

Astronomy 1110

Dr. Henry Throop, University of Colorado

"Mission controllers are continuuing to reestablish communication with the spacecraft..." -- press release from the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena,one week after losing the Mars Observer spacecraft just before arriving at Mars, August 1994.

Instructions: It is your job to design a robotic spacecraft mission that can successfully complete the science goal that you propose. Working in groups of 3-4, you will design, write up, and present your mission to the class.

Suggested Science Goals

Instrumentation

Possible Instruments for Main Spacecraft, Orbiter/Flyby Missions

Possible Instruments for Lander Missions

Possible Instruments for Probe or Balloon Missions

Possible Instruments for Sample Return Missions

Budgeting

Cost of spacecraft and design: $50M
Cost of launch: $50M + $10M per AU + $10M per instrument
Cost of mission operations: $10M / month
Initial speed: 3 months per AU of distance


For every additional instrument, add $100M and increase travel time by 25% (e.g., for four instruments, double the travel time)
A probe, lander, or balloon counts as two additional instruments.
If you are going to the outer Solar System (Jupiter or beyond), you must add plutonium batteries, which count as one instrument.


Probability of failure

1 in 3 for small `Honda Civic' mission (3 instruments or fewer)
1 in 6 for big `Hummer' mission (more than 3 instruments)


Dr. Henry Throop, University of Colorado / throop@broccoli.colorado.edu

Last modified 30-Jun-2000