''Camilla'' is a spacecraft and mission concept proposed for NASA’s

New Frontiers program The New Frontiers program is a series of space exploration missions being conducted by NASA with the purpose of furthering the understanding of the Solar System. The program selects medium-class missions which can provide high science returns. ...

. It would be a

centaur A centaur ( ; grc, κένταυρος, kéntauros; ), or occasionally hippocentaur, is a creature from Greek mythology with the upper body of a human and the lower body and legs of a horse. Centaurs are thought of in many Greek myths as being ...

exploration mission, particularly to minor planet

10199 Chariklo 10199 Chariklo is the largest confirmed centaur (small body of the outer Solar System). It orbits the Sun between Saturn and Uranus, grazing the orbit of Uranus. On 26 March 2014, astronomers announced the discovery of two rings (nicknamed ...

. It consists of a flyby craft (''Camilla''), and tungsten impactor (Halbred).

Goals

The goals of this mission would be to understand the formation of centaurs, find if

shepherd moon A shepherd moon (also herder moon or watcher moon) is a small natural satellite that clears a gap in planetary-ring material or keeps particles within a ring contained. The name is a result of the fact they limit the "herd" of the ring particle ...

s exist around Chariklo, and study the nature of the asteroid's

ring Ring may refer to: * Ring (jewellery), a round band, usually made of metal, worn as ornamental jewelry * To make a sound with a bell, and the sound made by a bell :(hence) to initiate a telephone connection Arts, entertainment and media Film and ...

s formation.

Mission design

The spacecraft would be launched in September 2026, using one gravity assist from

Venus Venus is the second planet from the Sun. It is sometimes called Earth's "sister" or "twin" planet as it is almost as large and has a similar composition. As an interior planet to Earth, Venus (like Mercury) appears in Earth's sky never fa ...

in February 2027 and

Earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's surfa ...

in December 2027 and 2029 to accelerate it out toward

Jupiter Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the List of Solar System objects by size, largest in the Solar System. It is a gas giant with a mass more than two and a half times that of all the other planets in the Solar System combined, but ...

. The Jupiter flyby in October 2031 will send it out of the ecliptic toward its Chariklo encounter in January 2039 before continuing to escape the Solar System. The spacecraft would be powered by a Multi-Mission RTG, and would be propelled by

hydrazine Hydrazine is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula . It is a simple pnictogen hydride, and is a colourless flammable liquid with an ammonia-like odour. Hydrazine is highly toxic unless handled in solution as, for example, hydrazine ...

thrusters. The scientific payload would consist of a tungsten impactor, high quality imaging equipment, spectral scanners, and a sub-millimeter radiometer.

References

{{Asteroid spacecraft Missions to minor planets New Frontiers program proposals