Navigation Challenges of a Kinetic Energy Asteroid Deflection Spacecraft

摘要

A simple asteroid deflection experiment can be conducted by a small and inexpensive impactor spacecraft in cooperation with an independent asteroid rendezvous mission. The rendezvous mission would arrive at a near-Earth asteroid in advance of the impactor in order to characterize the asteroid while the impactor makes its way to the target. Then the rendezvous spacecraft would be in position to record the impact event, as well as to measure the deflection imparted as a result of the collision. This paper describes the mission concept and addresses the navigational challenges in delivering the impactor, as well as measuring the resultant deflection.