Deep Space One: NASA's first deep-space technology validation mission

Under development for launch in July 1998, Deep Space One (DS1) is the first flight of NASA's New Millennium Program, chartered to validate selected technologies required for future low-cost space science programs. Advanced technologies chosen for validation on DS1 include solar electric propulsion, high-power solar concentrator arrays, autonomous on-board optical navigation, two low-mass science instrument packages, and several telecommunications and microelectronics devices. Throughout the two year primary mission, the technology payload will be exercised extensively to assess performance so that subsequent flight projects will not have to incur the cost and risk of being the first users of these new capabilities. An important component of the DS1 mission is diagnosing any in-flight anomalies or failures. Although DS1 is driven by the requirements of the technology validation, it also presents an important opportunity to conduct solar system science. During the primary mission, the spacecraft will fly by asteroid 3352 McAuliffe, Mars, and comet P/West-Kohoutek-Ikemura. The two science instruments that are being validated, an integrated infrared/visible/ultraviolet package and a plasma physics package, will be used to collect science data during the cruise and encounters. In addition, a suite of fields and particles sensors included to aid in the quantification of the effects of the solar electric propulsion on the spacecraft and near-space environment will be used for science measurements complementary to those of the plasma instrument. The return of science data will demonstrate that the technologies are compatible with the demands of future scientific missions and will ensure that this rare opportunity to encounter such a variety of solar system targets during a short mission will be fully exploited. (C) 1998 American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Inc. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd.