Astronomy:Calathus Mission
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Short description: Proposed ESA space probe for the dwarf planet Ceres
Calathus is a proposed student-designed Ceres sample-return mission, that would consist of an orbiter and a lander with an ascent module. The orbiter would be equipped with a camera, a thermal imager, and a radar; the lander will have a sampling arm, a camera, and a gas chromatograph mass spectrometer. The mission objective is to return as much as 40 grams (1.4 oz) of Ceresian soil.[1] The mission was designed and proposed in 2018 with support of ESA.[2]
The spacecraft would likely take samples from Occator Crater,[2] that was studied and photographed by NASA's Dawn. There are three main scientific questions that Calathus would investigate:[2]
- Does Ceres contains the ingredients for life?
- Where did Ceres form? did it migrate to its current location?
- Did objects like Ceres play a significant role in delivering water and organics to the inner planets?
Further reading
- "The Calathus Mission". Alpbach Summer School. https://www.summerschoolalpbach.at/docs/2018/presentations/Team_Blue_Calathus_Report.pdf.
- "SAMPLE RETURN FROM A RELIC OCEAN WORLD: THE CALATHUS MISSION TO OCCATOR CRATER, CERES.". 51st Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (2020). 2021. https://www.hou.usra.edu/meetings/lpsc2020/pdf/1291.pdf.
References
- ↑ Gassot, Oriane (April 2021). "Calathus: A sample-return mission to Ceres". Acta Astronautica 181: 112–129. doi:10.1016/j.actaastro.2020.12.050. Bibcode: 2021AcAau.181..112G. https://hal-insu.archives-ouvertes.fr/insu-03559381/file/S0094576520307931.pdf.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "The Calathus Mission Concept to Occator Crater at Ceres: Science, Operations and Systems Design". ESA. https://h2061-tlse.sciencesconf.org/data/pages/6.2_Acciarini_Calathus_H2061.pdf.
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