Modification of Heritage Scientific Instrumentation for Exploration of Hypothesized Surfaces – Boltzmann Brains
INSTITUTION
Michigan State University (MSU)
CLASS
Iridium Class (Fall 2024)
STUDENT TEAM
ACADEMIC GUIDANCE
Dr. William Resh
Dr. Himanshu Sahasrabudhe
Dr. Seth Jacobsen
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
The NASA Psyche mission was selected in 2017 with the goal of studying asteroid 16 Psyche, an M-type asteroid located in the main belt between Mars and Jupiter. Observations of this metal-rich asteroid prompted an interesting question—can it be studied as a point of comparison to the innermost core of planets such as ours, helping to overcome the impossibility of studying earth’s interior without physically reaching it? The Psyche mission launched in October 2023; as such, modifications to the current mission’s orbiter was impossible. However, future proposed missions to 16 Psyche would likely incorporate a lander for surface exploration. The capstone team identified a prior surface-based mission with a suite of instruments that were most compelling for a scientific surface exploration of Psyche. The group met with professors from the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at MSU to assist in determining what instruments would be most beneficial for this potential mission. Adjustments and modifications were then designed to the scientific instrument package for the greatest chance of operational and scientific success at Psyche. Other considerations included minimizing both mass and power requirements since the majority of power is projected to be solar. It will also be important to consider scientific instrumentation that will provide accurate and desired results while staying below the sponsored cost threshold.
