PLUTO EXPRESS SCIENCECRAFT SYSTEM-DESIGN

A number of mission system architectures have been studied for a Pluto flyby mission, with the goal of achieving the most cost effective mea ns of meeting a well defined set of science and technology objectives. The current Pluto Express approach at JPL incorporates emerging new t echnologies to reduce cost, mass, power, and volume, without sacrifici ng performance, science, or operations capability. The design has evol ved through a number of option studies involving an extensive trade sp ace which includes alternate power sources and various propulsion and trajectory options. The results of this trade study have been coupled with a new development implementation approach to create a highly inte grated concurrently engineered mission system called a ''sciencecraft. '' The current approach results in a Sciencecraft Module with dry mass of less than 100 kg, power consumption of less than 100 watts, and fu nctional simplicity to achieve high reliability, operability, and a lo w total mission cost. Copyright (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.