EP52B-06
NASA SMD/STMD Joint Study on Science Measurements and Technology Capability Potential of SmallSats
Friday, 18 December 2015: 11:35
2003 (Moscone West)
Charles D Norton1, Michael S Seablom2, Andrew J Petro2, Christine k Bonniksen2, Christopher S Ruf3, David M Klumpar4 and John T Van Sant2, (1)NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, United States, (2)NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC, United States, (3)University of Michigan Ann Arbor, AOSS, Ann Arbor, MI, United States, (4)Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, United States
Abstract:
NASA’s Science Mission Directorate (SMD) and Space Technology Directorate (STMD) initiated a joint study to explore strategic approaches to the development of platform technologies and new measurement approaches in Earth, Planetary, Heliophysics, and Astrophysics science enabled by small satellites (including CubeSat class systems). The agency has made investments though various solicitations within SMD and STMD, but as system capabilities continue to grow and as exploration concepts become more ambitious there was a need to formally asses the role Smallsats could play from technology maturation through Decadal Survey science in a coordinated fashion within the parameters of reliability, cost, design time and measurement requirement assessment among other topics. This talk will review the activities of the study team as well as its findings in the context of the benefits a small satellite program could contribute to multiple aspects of NASA's scientific and technology development objectives.
