Mobile Asteroid Surface Scout

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Mobile Asteroid Surface Scout

MASCOT
Mission goal Asteroid (162173) Ryugu
Client JAXA , DLR, CNES
Launcher Hayabusa 2
construction
Takeoff mass 10 kg
Instruments

MicrOmega - microscope for the near infrared range to detect the material properties of the direct environment, developed by CNES
CAM - camera, developed by DLR

MARA - radiometer to determine surface temperature , radiant power and the heat storage number of the environment, developed by DLR

MasMAG - fluxgate magnetometer for measurement of the magnetic field, built by the Institute for Geophysics and Extraterrestrial Physics (IGeP) and the Technical University of Braunschweig ( TUBS ).

Course of the mission
Start date October 3, 2018 3:58 am CEST
End date October 3rd, 2018 9:04 pm CEST
 
 03:58 BST Drop in 51 m
 
 about 20 minutes later Touch down, straightening and start routines
 
 Measurements and relocation
 
 21:04 CEST Mission end (battery depleted)

Mobile Asteroid Surface Scout ( MASCOT ) is an asteroid lander and rover that was developed by the German Aerospace Center (DLR) in cooperation with the French space agency CNES and the Japanese space agency JAXA . The Japanese probe Hayabusa 2 , which launched on December 3, 2014 for the asteroid (162173) Ryugu , carried this lander on board. After arriving at the asteroid, the MASCOT robot was released from the probe on October 3, 2018, landed on the asteroid, automatically turned to the correct measuring position and moved from one measuring point to the next by jumping movements commanded by the earth.

mission

DLR video about the asteroid lander MASCOT on Hayabusa2

Hayabusa 2 arrived at the target asteroid on June 27, 2018, will initially explore it from a distance and will land later to take rock samples and bring them back to Earth. Up to three (other) rovers and MASCOT are supposed to land on the asteroid in front of the mother ship. MASCOT supports the mother ship in finding a suitable, scientifically interesting place to take samples. In addition, MASCOT will carry out experiments on the asteroid itself.

At a distance of around 300 million kilometers from Earth, MASCOT was released on October 3, 2018 at 03:58 CEST from a height of 51 meters to the asteroid Ryugu. About 20 minutes later, after several small "hops" on the asteroid's surface, he came to rest and began using his instruments to take measurements at various points on the asteroid. MASCOT was able to move by jumping with the help of a flywheel that is accelerated inside the lander. This jumping movement was performed three times. A measurement sequence was run through at each position and the data is transmitted to the mother ship. Some measurements continued during the movement. All collected data could be transmitted to Hayabusa 2. At 21:04 CEST the batteries were exhausted, so the MASCOT mission ended.

Technical overview

  • Structure: The cage-like outer structure of the lander, which weighs just under 10 kg, is extremely light and at the same time extremely stiff at just 450 grams. This is made possible by the use of special CFRP layers only 0.125 mm thick , which are combined with a foam core or as a laminate to form a framework structure. The external dimensions are 27.5 × 29 × 19.5 cm.
  • Mobility: The gravity on Ryugu is so low that it is no longer possible to move around on wheels. Instead, an impulse is generated by an eccentrically mounted flywheel, which is accelerated and decelerated inside the lander. Depending on how this actuator is controlled, various maneuvers such as standing up from different sides and jumping can be carried out.
  • Orientation determination, navigation and control system (GNC): Five optical sensors and six photocells provide data with which the orientation of the lander can be determined.
  • Communication: Two patch antennas with omnidirectional characteristics establish communication with the Hayabusa 2. This forwards the data to the ground stations on earth.
  • Thermal Control: During the outward flight, MASCOT needs heating elements to keep the electronics and the battery warm. Once on the asteroid surface, however, so much heat is produced internally that it has to be dissipated by the thermal system in order not to overheat. The electronics are connected to a heat sink on the top by heat pipes , the battery connects four metal rods with another heat sink.
  • MESS: The Mechanical Electrical Support System is the interface between MASCOT and Hayabusa 2: in addition to the mechanical structure, power supply and data transmission, it also contains the mechanism with which MASCOT is dropped onto the asteroid.

  • Assembling the parts of MASCOT at the DLR (2012)

  • Test of the lander during a parabolic flight (2012)

  • Installation of MASCOT in the space probe Hayabusa 2 (2014)

Instruments

MASCOT has space for four instruments (“payloads”) that weigh a total of three kilograms. This lander is particularly characterized by its high proportion of payloads in relation to the total mass.

Web links

Commons : MASCOT  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ MASCOT: Asteroid Lander with a Sense of Orientation. German Aerospace Center (DLR), October 1, 2012 . ;
  2. ↑ a b Mobile asteroid lander supports Hayabusa-2. German Aerospace Center (DLR), 23 August 2012 . ;
  3. ↑ Christoph Seidler: Asteroid mission "Mascot": The shoebox has landed. In: Spiegel Online. 2018, accessed October 4, 2018 .
  4. ↑ DLR: Three hops in three asteroid days - MASCOT successfully completes the exploration of the surface of asteroid Ryugu . In: DLR Portal . October 5, 2018 ( dlr.de ).
  5. ↑ a b c d e f Jan Grundmann, Uli Auster, Volodymyr Baturkin, Anthony Bellion, Jean-Pierre Bibring: Mobile Asteroid Surface Scout (MASCOT) - Design, Development and Delivery of Small Asteroid Lander aboard Hayabusa2 . April 13, 2015 ( researchgate.net [accessed June 27, 2018]).