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DEEP SPACE 1 (DS1) :
New Millennium Deep Space 1 (DS1): Launched on October 25, 1998,
the DS1 spacecraft flew past asteroid (9969) Braille on July 28, 1999 but
camera problems limited the data received during this encounter. When the star tracker, a device used to
navigate the spacecraft, became inoperable, the imaging camera was programmed to carry out
the necessary navigation functions. The spacecraft made a very successful flyby to within
2000 kilometers of Comet
Borrelly on September 22, 2001.
The primary purpose of this mission is to test new technologies in space including an
ion drive rocket engine, a new type of solar panel that concentrates
sunlight, and an autonomous navigation system that uses the known
positions of well observed asteroids to guide the spacecraft to its
destinations. When the ion drive rocket engine is operating, electrons are
emitted from a hollow bar called a cathode into a chamber ringed by
magnets, much like the cathodes in TV picture tubes. The electrons
strike the atoms of xenon, knocking away one of the 54 electrons
orbiting the atom's nucleus. The xenon atoms lose electrons and thus
become charged particles, or ions. At the rear of the chamber, a pair of
oppositely charged metal grids accelerates these ions to a velocity of
about 60,000 miles per hour to provide the rocket engine's thrust.
DS1 Science Instruments:
Imager, IR spectrometer, UV spectrometer, plasma package
The DS1 spacecraft was built by Spectrum Astro under contract to the NASA/Jet
Propulsion Laboratory. The project management is also located at JPL.
Look here for additional information on the DS1 mission:
http://nmp.jpl.nasa.gov/ds1
[Image of DS1 near comet]
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