COmet Rendezvous, Sample Acquisition, Investigation, and Return (CORSAIR) is a concept mission to return comet nucleus samples to Earth for detailed analysis. The mission concept was submitted in May 2017 by a team from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in response to the New Frontiers program call for mission 4, but did not pass the initial down selection. As a comet sample return mission was not ultimately selected for mission 4 (Dragonfly, a Titan probe was selected), the CORSAIR team may re-submit the concept to a future New Frontiers program call.[1]
The CORSAIR goal is understanding the role of comets as ingredients for planets and life.[2] If selected for development, CORSAIR would rendezvous with comet 88P/Howell for approximately 140 days to perform detailed physical and chemical characterization and return to Earth with comet samples of the nucleus and its coma.[2][3]
If selected for development, the mission would have launched in 2024, cruise to the comet would take 7 years, including two Earth gravity assists. Rendezvous with the 88P/Howell would happen in May 2031 and the interactions would last up to 294 days. The return trip to Earth would take about 4.3 years.[2]
CORSAIR's conceptual scientific payload include:[2]
Surface samples would be obtained with the use of a harpoon-like penetrator.[4]
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