Dual exploration architectures for breaking the decades-long cycles of planetary science

The Dual Exploration Architecture is a mission concept that combines remote sensing and in-situ observations into a single mission to answer planetary science questions that can only be answered with both types of data. Adoption of dual exploration architectures may short circuit the long, slow cycle of missions to inaccessible bodies by eliminating the need for separate precursor and follow-up missions. Additionally, the dual architecture possesses inherent flexibility that enables the design of adaptive, event-driven missions. Five key observations about the state and trends of planetary science exploration lead us to the dual architecture: increasing complexity of observations, scarcity of future missions, desire to capture transitory events, continued miniaturization of components, and the Mars exploration cycle. A study of the planetary science the decadal survey reveals broad applicability of dual missions to solve mysteries that cannot be answered with a traditional mission architecture. These missions fall into three classes: choosing a local target from a global survey, dynamic/reactive science, and global in-situ networks. These mission classes further reveal four technology development needs that must be addressed for dual missions: passive landers, guided atmospheric probes, robust sensing packages, and small, precise orbital instruments. This study pursues a specific focus on two examples of such technologies: the ChipSat and cold atom gravimetry. Using these technologies, we study an example dual architecture mission to both characterize and sample the subsurface oceans at Europa. The identification of regions with thin ice precedes the selection of surface targets and dispatching of probes to those targets.