NASA RASC-AL 1st Place Winning Paper: <i>Discovery and Endeavour - Ceres Interplanetary Pathway for Human Exploration and Research (DECIPHER)</i>

Abstract

View Video Presentation: https://doi.org/10.2514/6.2021-4056.vid The Discovery and Endeavour – Ceres Interplanetary Pathway for Human Exploration and Research (DECIPHER) project presents a science-focused mission concept for a robotic and human expedition to Ceres in the 2040s. This will be accomplished by leveraging the use of two NTP-propelled Deep Space Transports to carry robotic explorers, scientific payloads, and a crew of four to and from the dwarf planet. The robotic explorers will complete high-priority science activities in sites of interest in advance to the crew. Meanwhile, two crew members will land on the Cerean surface aboard the Discovery lander in September 2049 to complete a 60-day surface stay. The entire mission life cycle will be 17 years – from the start of conceptual development in the fiscal year 2035 to the crew's return to the Earth in the fiscal year 2051. The total cost of the mission is $20.93 billion. Through this approach, humanity may understand more about the formation of our solar system and its celestial inhabitants and expand our frontiers in space.