NAVIGATION
Congratulations, you have been chosen as the Navigation (NAV) officer for this important mission. As a member of the NAV team, you are responsible for tracking the position of the Spacecraft and getting the Mission Commander in orbit around Europa. Your calculations will be vital to getting the Mission Commander to orbit Europa and send the probe to the surface and return to the Jupiter Gateway. Once the probe has been launched, you are responsible for getting the Spacecraft back to the Jupiter Gateway.
You will need to follow every step on this page, without skipping a single step. If you find at any point that the readings from the spacecraft are not safe, you must inform the crew! Do not begin the first step until told to do so by the Mission Commander.
You will be communicating with other teams using the CHAT at the bottom of the screen. Make sure you use the drop down menu to select the correct team you want to send the message to. Once you have typed it in the CHAT, make sure to hit Enter so that the team receives it.
JUPITER GATEWAY TO EUROPA
Follow these directions to navigate the spacecraft towards Europa:
- Read the information on Spacecraft travel by clicking on the box labeled SPACECRAFT TRAVEL.
SPACECRAFT TRAVEL
The spacecraft traveled for 6 years to get from Earth to the Jupiter Gateway. Today, the Mission Commander will need to complete the journey from the Jupiter Gateway to orbit Europa so that the probe can be sent to the surface and get data.
Europa is 7,250,000 km from the Jupiter Gateway.
The spacecraft has been traveling at 50,000 kilometers/ hour for 6 days.
2. Open the PROXIMITY TO EUROPA DATA LOG below and answer the questions.
PROXIMITY TO EUROPA DATA LOG
OPEN PROXIMITY TO EUROPA DATA LOG
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JUPITER GATEWAY TO EUROPA, CONT.
2. Send the following message to COM using CHAT:
“The NAV team has a message for the Mission Commander and the NRG team. The Spacecraft is nearing Europa. The Spacecraft needs to continue for _______________ km. Standby for directions for Europa orbit insertion.
3. Read the information on Spacecraft travel by clicking on the box labeled EUROPA APPROACH.
EUROPA APPROACH
Once the Spacecraft has reached Europa, it will need to orbit it. Europa is traveling at 50,000 km/hr. We will need to reach Europa and then allow the gravity of Europa to pull us into their orbit. The Spacecraft needs to go 3500 km/hr to be pulled into an orbit around Europa allowing Europa’s gravity to dominate.
4. Open the EUROPA APPROACH DATA LOG and calculate if the Spaecraft needs to speed up or slow down to orbit Europa.
EUROPA APPROACH DATA LOG
OPEN EUROPA APPROACH DATA LOG
THRUST
1. Read the following information about THRUST to understand how we will speed up or slow down the Spacecraft.
THRUST
Thrust is the force which moves a spacecraft through the air and through space.
Thrust is generated by the propulsion system of the Spacecraft through the application of Newton’s third law of motion; For every action there is an equal and opposite re-action. If the Spacecraft is slowing down, we will need to turn the Spacecraft around so that the engines thrust is in reverse to slow down the Spacecraft. If the Spacecraft is speeding up, we will keep it in the same direction and fire the engines to direct the thrust behind the Spacecraft and propel it faster.
Thrust is measured in Newtons.
3. The NRG team will also calculate the thrust and direction needed.
EUROPA ORBIT INSERTION DATA LOG
OPEN EUROPA ORBIT INSERTION DATA LOG
THRUST
1. Once you select a Thrust Plan, unmute the microphone and read the following message:
“The NAV team has a message for the NRG team. Please verify that Thrust Plan _____ is confirmed for Europa orbit insertion.
2. After the message is sent, please mute your microphone.
3.When you recieve a message from NRG confirming the Thrust Plan,unmute the microphone and read the following message:
This is NAV with an message for the Mission Commander. The Spacecraft is nearing Europa. The NRG and NAV Teams have confirmed Thrust Plan ____. Standby for directions for Europa orbit insertion.
4. After the message is sent, please mute your microphone.
5. Standby for Europa Orbit Insertion.
6. Notify the Flight Director through the CHAT that you have completed your primary tasks.
ATTENTION: Stop here until the probe is launched and probe data has been received.
SPACECRAFT RETURN TO JUPITER GATEWAY
Follow these directions to return the Spacecraft to the Jupiter Gateway:
- Read the information on Spacecraft return to the Jupiter Gateway.
JUPITER GATEWAY RETURN
In order for the Spacecraft to return to the Jupiter Gateway, the Spacecraft must escape the gravitational pull of Europa. The surface gravity of Europa is 1.315m/s2. This compared to Earth’s surface gravity of 9.8 m/s2. Since the mass of Europa is so much less than the Earth and similar to the size of our Moon, its escape velocity is more like our Moon.
The escape velocity of Europa is 7,293 km/hr which equals 2025 km/sec.
Our system for leaving Europa’s gravity needs to be calculated in meters/sec. You need to calculate how many meters per second the spacecraft needs to travel.
2. Open the EUROPA ESCAPE VELOCITY DATA LOG and calculate how many m/sec the Spacecraft needs to travel in order to leave Europa’s gravity. The Spacecraft also needs the right amount of thrust to leave Europa’s surface gravity.
3. Answer question 1 and fill out the table on the EUROPA ESCAPE VELOCITY DATA LOG.
EUROPA ESCAPE VELOCITY DATA LOG
OPEN EUROPA ESCAPE VELOCITY DATA LOG
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SPACECRAFT RETURN TO JUPITER GATEWAY
1. Send the following message to COM in CHAT:
“The NAV team has a message for the Mission Commander. The Spacecraft needs to leave Europa’s gravity at __________ m/s. To achieve this, set the thrust at _____________ newtons for 5 seconds.
2. The Spacecraft is now traveling at 7,293 km/hr. The Spacecraft needs to travel at 50,000 km/hr to return to the Jupiter Gateway and be outside the radiation belts.
3. Open the EUROPA RETURN TO GATEWAY DATA LOG.
OPEN EUROPA RETURN TO GATEWAY DATA LOG
DOCKING WITH GATEWAY
Follow these directions to return the Spacecraft to the Jupiter Gateway:
- Read the information on Spacecraft docking with the Jupiter Gateway.
DOCKING WITH GATEWAY
Hand-eye coordination, transferring mental images to a monitor screen, following the proper maneuver sequences, and the ability to track several functions simultaneously as in video games actually do have real-life payoffs.
As the Mission Commander closes in on the Jupiter Gateway, they must use a laser to assure that they are in line with the docking target.
Practice on the simulators and classroom education on scientific principles at work help astronauts approach the maneuver with confidence.
2. Unmute your microphone and read the following message:
The NAV team has an alert for the Mission Commander and all Mission Controllers that the Spacecraft is ready to dock with the Jupiter Gateway. Observe your monitors.
3. After the message is sent, please mute your microphone.
DOCKING WITH JUPITER GATEWAY
Follow these directions to simulate docking with the Jupiter Gateway.
1. Once you open the docking simulator, click on INSTRUCTIONS to learn manuevering and docking tips.
2. Click here to practice docking: Docking Simulator.
3. Once you have successfully docked, notify the Mission Commandor by using the CHAT feature in your call software.