Spacecraft and mission design of the 'Aeneas' Mercury orbiter using methods of concurrent engineering

Over the course of ten weeks, nine college students collaborated to design a mission to Mercury. The Aeneas Mercury Orbiter was designed using new methods of concurrent engineering with the help of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Aeneas will deliver a significant scientific payload, including visual cameras, an altimeter, laser and infrared spectrometers, and magnetometers, to a difficult target to return information about the little known planet Mercury. After a three-year trajectory including a Venus flyby, the spacecraft will reach Mercury and begin a 300 km circular polar orbit. Expected science return includes visual mapping of at least 95% of the surface, mapping of the Mercurian magnetic field, and partial determination of the planetary surface. The Aeneas Mercury Orbiter will enhance current knowledge of the solar system and its formation through the study of Mercury.