The Asteroid Impact and Deflection Assessment (AIDA) mission: Science Proximity Operations

Description

The moon of the near-Earth binary asteroid 65803 Didymos is the target of the Asteroid Impact and Deflection Assessment (AIDA) mission. This mission is a joint concept between NASA and ESA to investigate the effectiveness of a kinetic im-pactor in deflecting an asteroid. The mission is composed of two components: the NASA-led Double Asteroid Redirect Test (DART) that will impact the Did-ymos moon (henceforth Didymoon), and the ESA-led Asteroid Impact Mission (AIM) that will survey the Didymos system. Using much of ESA's Rosetta experience , the AIM mission will undertake all the proximity operations both before and after the impact produced by DART. The physical and dynamical characterization of both Didymain (primary) and Didymoon is of maximum importance in the joint AIDA mission and the main purpose of the AIM spacecraft. The characterization includes measuring before and after the DART impact, the internal properties of the primary and secondary, the mass of Didymoon, the surface geology and regolith properties of both objects, and the dynamical state of Didymoon [1]. In this abstract, we summarize the proximity operations needed to achieve the scientific objectives of the AIM spacecraft using the broad suite of experiments it will carry to satisfy its mission objectives.

Abstract

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