Managing a place agency necessitate being constantly at the forefront of science and engineering science , so for the last 18 old age NASA has invested in cutting - edge project that make up the NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts ( NIAC ) program .
For 2016 , NASA has selected 13 projects for the NIAC Phase I , which will test initiate technologies for planetary geographic expedition and long - distance astronomy . Each project will have about $ 100,000 for nine months to stick out the initial definition and feasibleness of these concepts .
“ The latest NIAC selections admit a number of concepts for planetary and robotic exploration , ” said Steve Jurczyk , NASA ’s associate administrator for the Space Technology Mission Directorate in Washington , in astatement . “ NASA continues to value former level concept field of study for our future foreign mission . ”
The projects variegate in background and breadth . Among them are two interesting ideas for frigid moon exploration . The first , calledNIMPH , focuses on a tiny lander that would collect a open sample distribution , convert materials into propellant , and lift off from Europa ( or another arctic moonshine ) to then wing back to Earth . Thesecond ideatakes a page out of Jules Verne ’s book and focuses on a tethered roamer that would climb down a cryovolcano and deploy a wedge to explore Enceladus or Europa ’s subsurface sea .
The rest of Phase I concepts have a good share of forward-looking engineering . There’sTANDEM , a new lightweight landing system ; a singular construct calledBrane Craft , an ultra - thin ballistic capsule that could be used to remove orbital debris at a fraction of the current cost ; andProject RAMA , which would turn asteroids into automatonlike spaceships and move them out of dangerous orbits , or take them closer to Earth to be mine .
Artist ’s delineation of the TANDEM concept . admit is the deployable heat shield and tensegrity structure forhigh - risklanding zones during extreme environmental missionary station . Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Planets are also on the aim list . Venus has only been explored by a handful of investigation due to its surface temperature , which is high enough to melt electronics . For this reason , scientist are attend intoAREE , a mechanically skillful lander that would collect sample distribution and send them back using transport balloons . Another genus Venus - concentre project isVIP - INSPR , which would research how to generate magnate on Venus using its toxic atmosphere .
NASA’sJourney to Marscould also occur to benefit from some of these task . There ’s aprojectfocused on project the most monetary value - effective means for crew and cargo to get to Mars , and another bet for a way to harness microorganism to use the Martian surround torecycle and print electronics .
The New Horizons and Dawn delegacy have also bring in focal point to the smaller but legion aim in the Solar System . Alaser - arm probecould be employed to study the composition of smaller physical object from orbit , whileelectrically charged gliderscould use atmospheric plasma to fell around comet and asteroid . In addition , Pluto could have anorbiter and landerpowered by nuclear fusion .
Thefinal projectlooks at the echo from the occasional vibration of stars due to gravitational interactions with their planets . This technique could provide continent - level imaging of exoplanets , and it would be more cost effective than current imagination applied science .
“ The 2016 NIAC Phase I challenger was violent , as common . All of the net candidates were owing , and restrain the choice to what fit in our budget was difficult , ” say Jason Derleth , NIAC program executive , in the statement . “ We trust each new discipline will push boundaries and explore new approach path – that ’s what make NIAC unique . ”
