Instrumentation for High-Priority Science on Hypothesized Surfaces – Psurface Xplorers

INSTITUTION

Arizona State University (ASU)

CLASS

Iridium Class (2024 – 2025)

STUDENT TEAM

Akul, Gupta, Earth and Space Exploration (Exploration Systems Design);
Makana, Hoehn, Earth and Space Exploration (Astrobiology and Biogeosciences);
Allyson, Kirimli, Earth and Space Exploration (Astrophysics);
Geovanni, Orozco, Earth and Space Exploration (Exploration Systems Design);
Madison, Heldman, Earth and Space Exploration (Astrophysics)

ACADEMIC GUIDANCE

Laurence Garvie
Mark Mangus
Tracee Jamison-Hooks
Sean Bryan

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

This project identifies a suite of instruments that could be used on future surface missions to 16 Psyche or other M-type asteroids that would help to determine if a body could be a remnant terrestrial planetesimal core. the team derived two main subsystems from the system that function independently, yet still work in tandem towards fulfilling the science goal. These two subsystems are the Drill Subsystem and the Spectrometer Subsystem. The Drill Subsystem will ensure that the material being analyzed is not the top-most layer that may be contaminated by debris or space weathering, but rather material that represents a true representative composition of the body. The Spectrometer Subsystem will then analyze the composition of the material. From this compositional report, the team can conclude the contamination of the drill bits on the sample during the drilling process and on the origins of the host body using pre-existing literature.

 

 

This work was created in partial fulfillment of the Arizona State University Capstone Course “SES 410”. The work is a result of the Psyche Student Collaborations component of NASA’s Psyche Mission (https://psyche.ssl.berkeley.edu). “Psyche: A Journey to a Metal World” [Contract number NNM16AA09C] is part of the NASA Discovery Program mission to solar system targets. Trade names and trademarks of ASU and NASA are used in this work for identification only. Their usage does not constitute an official endorsement, either expressed or implied, by Arizona State University or National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of ASU or NASA.