Small Next-Generation Atmospheric Probe (SNAP) Concept to Enable Future Multi-Probe Missions: A Case Study for Uranus
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Small Next-Generation Atmospheric Probe (SNAP) Concept to Enable Future Multi-Probe Missions: A Case Study for Uranus K.M. Sayanagi1 · R.A. Dillman2 · D.H. Atkinson3 · J. Li4 · S. Saikia5 · A.A. Simon6 · T.R. Spilker7 · M.H. Wong8 · W.C. Edwards2 · D. Hope2 · A. Arora5 · S.C. Bowen2 · A. Bowes2 · J.S. Brady2 · T.O. Clark2 · R.E. Fairbairn2 · D.G. Goggin2,9 · T.A. Grondin2,9 · S.J. Horan2 · S.I. Infeld2,9 · J.P. Leckey2 · J.M. Longuski5 · T.E. Marvel2 · R.M. McCabe1 · A.M. Parikh2 · D.J. Peterson2 · S.J. Primeaux2 · A.D. Scammell2 · K.M. Somervill2 · L.W. Taylor III2 · C. Thames2 · H.P. Tosoc2 · L.D. Tran2 Received: 1 October 2019 / Accepted: 1 May 2020 © Springer Nature B.V. 2020
Abstract We present the outcome of a mission concept study that designed a small atmospheric entry probe and examined the feasibility and benefit of a future multi-probe mission to Uranus. We call our design the Small Next-generation Atmospheric Probe (SNAP). The primary scientific objective of a multi-probe mission is to reveal spatial variability of atmospheric conditions. This article first highlights that not all measurements must be repeated by multiple probes; some quantities, notably the noble gas abundances and elemental isotopic ratios, are not expected to be variable, and thus need to be performed only by a single large Primary Probe. Our study demonstrates that, by focusing its measurements on spatially variable quantities including atmospheric vapor concentrations, thermal stratification and wind speed, a viable atmospheric probe design is realized with an entry system with 50-cm heatshield diameter and 30-kg atmospheric entry mass. In Situ Exploration of the Ice Giants: Science and Technology Edited by Olivier J. Mousis and David H. Atkinson
B K.M. Sayanagi
[email protected]
1
Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences Department, Hampton University, 154 William R. Harvey Way, Hampton, VA, 23668, USA
2
NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, VA, USA
3
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
4
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NASA Ames Research Center, Mountain View, CA, USA
5
Purdue University, West Lafayyete, IN, USA
6
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, USA
7
Planetary Mission Architect, Pasadena, CA, USA
8
University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
9
Analytical Mechanics and Associates, Hampton, VA, USA
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As a case study, we present a detailed analysis of adding SNAP to a notional Uranus Orbiter with Probe mission, which launches in 2031 and arrives at Uranus in 2043, designed by the NASA-funded Science Definition Team study in 2017. We demonstrate that, with minimal changes to the notional carrier mission, a large Primary Probe and SNAP can be delivered to the winter and summer hemispheres to examine seasonal atmospheric variabilities, and transmit data to the Orbiter, which in turn relays the data to Earth. The additional maneuvers needed to deliver SNAP totals a Delta-V of 84 m/s, and consumes 43 kg of
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