The Ultimate Road Trip

From the Flight Team
July 9, 2010 - Imagine that you are planning a family road trip cross-country. Now, think about what you would want to do and see on that trip using all your existing resources in the best way. There are many factors that go in to planning such a trip: For starters, you’ll need to determine what the end destination point will be and what you plan to do there. Once this has been decided, where will you stop along the way and for how long? You will need to consider your fuel consumption as you go to ensure you can get to where you are going, as well as for food stops or points of interest along the way for you and your passengers.  All these kinds of factors are what NASA and the Stardust-NExT spacecraft flight team are considering in preparation for encounter with comet Tempel 1, February 14, 2010.

Since Stardust-NExT is a recycled spacecraft, having successfully completed its original journey, the fuel remaining in it is an extremely important factor when planning the journey to encounter comet Tempel 1. The navigation team needs to consider best use of the fuel since the tank is already low and there are no gas stations 300 million kilometers from Earth for either cars or spacecraft.

Current Factors:
• Implementation: How to plan your trip?
• Maneuvers: Getting to the right place at the right time
• Planning Activities: Where to stop and for how long?
• Arriving at your destination: What do you do when you get there?

Click on the links above to find out more about these and other factors that the Stardust-NExT Team is currently
working on.