NASA’s next robotic exploration missions, set to launch by the end of 2021, will target Venus, near-Earth objects and asteroids. The space agency, as part of its Discovery Program, which provides education opportunities related to solar system exploration, will fund five finalists – two of which are headed to Venus and three to asteroids.
TO INFINITY AND BEYOND: NASA SETS ITS EYES ON VENUS AND ASTEROIDS
All teams will receive $3 million over the next year to assist in the design and development of each respective mission. By September 2016, NASA will select one or two concepts, which will be approved for launch in 2020 or 2021. According to Space.com, the selected missions are anticipated to cost around $500 million; this does not include the costs of launch or post-launch operations.
“Dynamic and exciting missions like these hold promise to unravel the mysteries of our solar system and inspire future generations of explorers,” John Grunsfeld, a former astronaut and associate administrator for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington, said in a statement.
THE FIVE FINALISTS ARE:
VERITAS (Venus Emissivity, Radio Science, InSAR, Topography, and Spectroscopy): The VERITAS orbiter will snap photos of the surface of Venus and send them back to mission team members to allow them to create maps of the planet’s topographic composition.
DAVINCI (Deep Atmosphere Venus Investigation of Noble gases, Chemistry, and Imaging): The DAVINCI probe will study Venus’ atmosphere during a 63-minute descent. Scientists hope the mission will allow them to study how the planet’s surface interacts with the atmosphere and whether or not it possesses active volcanoes.
Psyche: The Psyche mission will study the 155-mile-wide (250 km) metallic asteroid Psyche, which is believed to be the core of a protoplanet and the survivor of a hit-and-run collision.
NEOCam (Near Earth Object Camera): NEOCam is an infrared space telescope that would launch to a gravitationally stable spot about 930,000 miles (1.5 million kilometers) from Earth, known as the Earth-sun Lagrange Point 1. It will search for near-Earth objects that could potentially be dangerous.
Lucy: Lucy would study Jupiter Trojan asteroids, which were likely set into their current orbits during the period of planet-formation; the space rocks could help scientists piece together the history of the solar system.
