Vision and Voyages for Planetary Science in the - Solar System ...

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Other Missions Considered
The missions discussed in Chapters 4-8 which were not selected for analysis via The Aerospace
Corporation’s CATE methodology (Appendix C) included the following (in approximate order of distance
from the Sun):
• Mercury Lander
• Venus Mobile Explorer
• Venus Intrepid Tessera Lander
• Lunar Polar Volatiles Explorer
• Mars Sky Crane Capabilities
• Mars Geophysical Network
• Mars Polar Climate Mission
• Ganymede Orbiter
• Titan Lake Probe
• Chiron Orbiter
• Neptune-Triton-KBO Mission.
These missions were not subjected to the CATE process because the committee considered them
to have lower science merit and/or to be less technically ready than the missions discussed in Appendix C.
They are described in more detail in subsequent sections. In addition, four technology oriented studies
were also carried out in support of this report. These are:
• Near-Earth Asteroid Trajectory Opportunities in 2020-2024
• Small Fission Power System
• Saturn Ring Observer
• Comet Cryogenic Sample Return.
The full text of the completed study reports for the CATE, non-CATE, and technology studies can
be found in Appendix G.
The design centers conducted two types of mission study as described below: rapid mission
architecture (RMA) studies and full studies (FMS) of mission point designs. RMAs considered a broad
array of mission architectures to find a promising approach. The resulting “point design” could then
optionally be subjected to a full mission study.
MERCURY LANDER
A mission concept study performed by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory
Space Department in partnership with NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center and Glenn Research Center.
PREPUBLICATION COPY—SUBJECT TO FURTHER EDITORIAL CORRECTION
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