Unique abilities of hopper spacecraft to enable national objectives for solar system exploration

Abstract

In comparison with conventional and other conceived approaches, hopper spacecraft offer unique advantages in exploring Solar System objects beyond Earth. The present work began with a survey - based on documents from the White House, Congress, NASA, and the international planetary science community - of exploration plans and objectives in the United States. The results are presented, and lead into a representative description of goals that might be enabled by hoppers. Relevant hopper attributes are then described in comparison to other vehicle types, and these vehicle characteristics are mapped to the exploration goals to show how hoppers can facilitate achievement of policy and science objectives. Specific examples are examined by formulating and analyzing a demonstrative and timely variety of model missions on Earth's Moon, Mars, and Saturn's moon Titan. These analyses use models for both hovering and ballistic hops to produce realistic values for hopper performance including mass, fuel consumption, trajectory characteristics, and basic spacecraft subsystem characteristics. In sum, planetary hopper technology is not for every mission, but generally offers paradigm-changing mobility and flexibility for small additional mass or development costs. Mission planners should evaluate hoppers for suitability to their exploration goals. Policy recommendations are offered toward this purpose.