Space Mission Design – Space Rock Co

Institution

Pennsylvania State University

Class

Iron Class (2018 – 2019)

Student Team

Eric Acosta, Aerospace Engineering
Bianca Gonzalez, Aerospace Engineering
Igor Kobzarenko, Aerospace Engineering
Dylan Palm, Aerospace Engineering
Dylan Keiter, Aerospace Engineering
Clint Shirk, Aerospace Engineering
Joshua Shoup, Aerospace Engineering
Joseph Wittreich, Aerospace Engineering

Academic Guidance

Dr. David Spencer, Professor, Aerospace Engineering

Project Description

The team developed an idea for a follow-on mission to Psyche. The main objective of the Psyche 2 mission was to obtain a surface sample of the 16 Psyche asteroid and return it to Earth for further research. This would allow for further understanding of the origins of the solar system and deepen the understanding of early planetary development.

This work was created in partial fulfillment of Pennsylvania State University Capstone Courses “AERSP 401A-401B”. The work is a result of the Psyche Student Collaborations component of NASA’s Psyche Mission (https://psyche.asu.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.