Analysis of Tethers in Sampling near Earth Objects

This study investigated the feasibility of a SAIC proposal to sample Near Earth Objects (NEOs) from an orbiting spacecraft using a tethered landing device. The parameters for suitable targets were derived from an analysis of a proposed point design as applied to current knowledge of NEOs. Tether strength and lifetime for the point design were also assessed. First order modeling of tether dynamics showed that deployment and attachment to a NEO are feasible. The dynamics of retrieving a sample via a crawler unit which crawls up the tether requires further exploration.Air Force Inst of Tech Wright-Patterson AFB OH School of Engineering is the author of 'Analysis of Tethers in Sampling near Earth Objects', published 1997 under ISBN 9781423579328 and ISBN 1423579321.