NASA selects five investigations to determine future key planetary mission

FIVE ideas, all them kind of crazy. Each will receive millions in funding. And if everything falls into place, one could become NASA’s next big mission.

This photo released by 20th Century Fox shows Matt Damon in a scene from the film, "The Martian." (Aidan Monaghan/20th Century Fox via AP)

EXPLORING the core of a metallic asteroid or capturing high-resolution images of Venus are two potential missions NASA is considering embarking on.

In order to decide its next big mission, the space agency will be exploring five science investigations over the next year.

Each investigation will receive $4.2 million to conduct concept design studies and analyses, with NASA deciding which mission to embark on by September 2016.

Associate administrator for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, John Grunsfeld, said it was vital the space agency considering all options carefully.

“The selected investigations have the potential to reveal much about the formation of our solar system and its dynamic processes,” he said.

“Dynamic and exciting missions like these hold promise to unravel the mysteries of our solar system and inspire future generations of explorers.

“It’s an incredible time for science, and NASA is leading the way.”

Here are the five investigations for future key planetary missions:

Deep Atmosphere Venus Investigation of Noble gases, Chemistry, and Imaging (DAVINCI)

A chemical composition of Venus’ atmosphere has long been considered a high priority mission for NASA.

By studying the planet during a 63-minute descent, the space agency would hope to learn if there are active volcanoes on the planet and how its surface interacts with the atmosphere.

The Venus Emissivity, Radio Science, InSAR, Topography, and Spectroscopy mission (VERITAS)

Sticking with the theme of Venus, this mission would see high-resolution topography and imaging of the planet’s surface.

The data obtained would be used to produce the first maps of deformation and global surface composition of Venus.

Psyche

What’s not to love about exploring the origin of planetary cores by studying the metallic asteroid Psyche?

This asteroid is expected to be the survivor of an intergalactic collision with another object that stripped off its outer, rocky layers.

Near Earth Object Camera (NEOCam)

NASA wants to find and characterise near-Earth objects in outer space.

By using this technology, it believes it will be able to discover ten times more than all near-Earth objects discovered to date.

Lucy

This mission would see the first reconnaissance of the Jupiter Trojan asteroids being undertaken.

NASA believes these objects hold vital clues to deciphering the history of the solar system.

The selected mission will be carried out by as early as 2020 and is expected to cost $700 million — not including launch vehicle funding or the cost of post-launch operations.