Symposium on Recent Progress and Future Plans for Exploration of the Solar System

UNISPACE III
Committee 1
Technical Forum
Agenda item 9/16

Symposium on Recent Progress and Future Plans for Exploration of the Solar System
(Vienna, July 22,1999)

Dr. A. Nishida, chairman of the Symposium, and Director General of the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS) of Japan, indicated that the raison d’être of this event was to give the possibility to the four major space Agencies to outline their programmes for the exploration of the Solar System and through this exchange of information to explore means of coordination and cooperation that would add scientific value to the overall endeavor. To this effect the Workshop was organized and sponsored by two international institutions, COSPAR and the InterAgency Consultative Group (IACG).

The ESA programme was presented by Dr. M. Coradini. It includes the Cassini/Huygens mission to Saturn and its moon Titan in cooperation with NASA, (1997), the SMART-1 technological mission with a payload for Lunar research (2001), the Mars Express with lander (2003), the ROSETTA cornerstone of ESA (2003) for asteroid/cometary research (with comet rendez vous and landing) and the future Mercury cornerstone. It is a coherent ensemble of missions, oriented towards coordination and cooperation with the other Agencies and includes the development of new technologies such as ion propulsion on SMART 1.

The ISAS programme was presented by Dr. A. Nishida. NOZOMI is a planetary project on its way to Mars that it will reach in 2003. It will be inserted in an orbit ideally suited for cooperation with ESA’s Mars Express. Two further missions are under development, LUNAR-A for studies of the Moon interior and MUSES-C (2002) that is a technology demonstrator for asteroid sample return. A further lunar mission, SELENE is developed jointly by ISAS and NASDA (2003). It is a coherent programme along three main axis of research: internal structure and composition of the Moon and planets; the study of primitive bodies as fossils of the early solar system; and the surface and atmosphere of Moon and planets. Follow on missions and a selection of the main priority axis of research are being formulated.

The Russian programme was presented by Academician A. Galeev. Its planetary component focuses on the PHOBOS-SOIL project (2004/05) whose primary objective is the return to Earth of soil samples from Phobos, the natural satellite of Mars. It will include landing and departure from Phobos and the determination of the physical and chemical characteristics of the surface and environment of the planet. Further projects are being considered at the moment including a lunar mission. The projects involved are complex and are open to cooperation with other agencies.

The NASA programme was presented by Dr.T. Johnson (JPL). The programme is focussed along three main axes. Small Bodies Exploration is specifically addressed by NEAR (1996) and Deep Space 1(1998) for the asteroid observations, STARDUST (1999) and CONTOUR (2002) for cometary exploration. A large programme is directed to the Mars Exploration and includes several orbiters, landers and ultimately a sample return mission. This programme sees numerous international cooperations with other Agencies. Other planetary projects include the Lunar Prospector (1998), the Galileo mission to Jupiter, Cassini in cooperation with ESA, the future Europa Orbiter (2003) and the Pluto/Kuiper Express (2004).

The InterAgency Consultative Group –IACG- the specific features of which were presented by Dr. V. Manno (ISSI and IACG), has implemented a very successful form of coordination among Space Agencies It was established in 1981 by ESA, ISAS, Intercosmos and NASA with the specific task to coordinate the several space missions to Comet Halley and ground based observations. It so successfully completed that task that a decision was made to continue its activities, taking up new tasks into the present time. A second phase was started in 1987 and is still in progress. It involves coordination of the scientific missions and data analysis of some 25 projects of the International Solar Terrestrial programme. The third Phase will focus on the Exploration of the Solar System with particular emphasis on its Small Bodies (Asteroids, Comets). A Working Group, set up by the IACG specifically for this task will implement the coordination of the several projects of the Agencies listed above.

Membership in the Working Groups of the IACG extends beyond Agency personnel to include scientific institutions and research centres. The IACG has also been instrumental in the creation of the International Mars Exploration Working Group and of the International Lunar Exploration Working Group that include also other space Agencies

One particular sub set of the Small Bodies are the Near Earth Objects (NEOs), about which a recent workshop was held in Italy.A report thereupon was given by Dr. H. Rickmann (Uppsala University). Though major cosmic impacts have a very low probability to happen in the near future, the event itself could affect civilization or life on Earth. At the Torino workshop a recommendation was made that governments support NEO research in their own countries and establish national centres to be coordinated at international level. A new scale, called the Torino scale, had been established, giving the impact probability versus size of object.

In conclusion the presentations highlighted the worldwide effort to bring about a new level of knowledge in the exploration of the Solar System, and specifically Mars, the Moon, the Small Bodies, including the Near Earth Objects (NEOs). A number of collaborative agreements have been already established among the various agencies.

There is no doubt that such a vast endeavor would profit, on scientific and economic grounds, from increased international collaboration and coordination in the most suitable forms. Such models have been established by the InterAgency Consultative Group (IACG) in the successful coordination of the exploration of Comet Halley, and of the International Solar Terrestrial programme and will be pursued in the area of the Solar System Exploration.