NASA is set to publicly decide next month (June 2011) one of three proposals as candidates for the agency's next space robot venture to another celestial body in our solar system. The proposed missions would probe the atmosphere and crust of Venus [SAGE]; return a piece of a near-Earth asteroid for analysis [OSIRIS-REx]; or drop a robotic lander into a basin at the moon's south pole to return lunar rocks back to Earth for study [Moonrise]. Only one will get the 'GO' for a multi-million dollar mission with an anticipated 2016-2018 launch date.
The final selection will become the third mission of NASA's New Frontiers program, which was created to further explore our solar system with medium-class spacecraft missions. Below are details about each proposed mission.
The Surface and Atmosphere Geochemical Explorer (SAGE) - This mission to Venus would release a probe to descend through the planet's atmosphere. During descent, instruments would conduct extensive measurements of the atmosphere's composition and obtain meteorological data. The probe then would land on the surface of Venus, where its abrading tool would expose both a weathered and a pristine surface area to measure its composition and mineralogy. Scientists hope to understand the origin of Venus and why it is so different from Earth.
The Origins Spectral Interpretation Resource Identification Security Regolith Explorer spacecraft (OSIRIS-REx) - This mission would rendezvous and orbit a primitive asteroid. After extensive measurements, instruments would collect material from the asteroid's surface for return to Earth. The returned samples would help scientists better understand and answer long-held questions about the formation of our solar system and the origin of complex molecules necessary for life.
MoonRise: Lunar South Pole-Aitken Basin Sample Return Mission - This mission would place a lander in the South Pole-Aitken basin near the Moon's south pole and return lunar rocks and soils for study. This region of the lunar surface is believed to harbor rocks excavated from the Moon's mantle. The samples would provide new insight into the early history of the Earth-Moon system.
The final selection will become the third mission of NASA's New Frontiers program, which was created to further explore our solar system with medium-class spacecraft missions. Below are details about each proposed mission.
The Surface and Atmosphere Geochemical Explorer (SAGE) - This mission to Venus would release a probe to descend through the planet's atmosphere. During descent, instruments would conduct extensive measurements of the atmosphere's composition and obtain meteorological data. The probe then would land on the surface of Venus, where its abrading tool would expose both a weathered and a pristine surface area to measure its composition and mineralogy. Scientists hope to understand the origin of Venus and why it is so different from Earth.
The Origins Spectral Interpretation Resource Identification Security Regolith Explorer spacecraft (OSIRIS-REx) - This mission would rendezvous and orbit a primitive asteroid. After extensive measurements, instruments would collect material from the asteroid's surface for return to Earth. The returned samples would help scientists better understand and answer long-held questions about the formation of our solar system and the origin of complex molecules necessary for life.
MoonRise: Lunar South Pole-Aitken Basin Sample Return Mission - This mission would place a lander in the South Pole-Aitken basin near the Moon's south pole and return lunar rocks and soils for study. This region of the lunar surface is believed to harbor rocks excavated from the Moon's mantle. The samples would provide new insight into the early history of the Earth-Moon system.
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