CHEATA: Ceres Human Exploration And Transport Architecture

Small solar system bodies, particularly those within the asteroid belt like Ceres, present tempting targets for future human exploration missions. The Dawn mission provided scientists with a wealth of knowledge about Ceres' geological and astronomical history; however, extended human exploration of Ceres could better investigate the potential for microbial life, and enable in-depth study of the mineral and water resources in the asteroid belt. While such a mission is beyond the current scope of NASA's human exploration plans to the Moon and Mars, this study aims to architect the steps “beyond” Mars, with Ceres as a reasonable destination that could serve as a water-and mineral-rich stepping stone for outer solar system human exploration. This paper outlines the Ceres Human Exploration and Transit Architecture (CHEATA), a Design Reference Mission (DRM) developed to explore small bodies within the asteroid belt, with a focus on mission architecture, vehicle design, and human health. The proposed DRM, lasting 3.2 years, will arrive at Ceres by the end of 2049 and support 60 days of crewed surface operations on Ceres for 4 astronauts. The focus of the study was to identify innovative concepts that would enable such a mission, including existing or planned NASA and commercial infrastructure which can be leveraged to reduce cost, buy down risk, and support an evolvable mission architecture. Minimizing radiation exposure and mission duration, while maximizing surface science on Ceres were the most critical requirements considered for this mission concept. Key elements of the design include an active High Temperature Superconducting (HTS) Magnet as the primary radiation shielding, a Bimodal Nuclear Thermal Propulsion (NTP) engine for propulsion and energy generation, and a Low-Gravity Hopping (LGH) vehicle for surface operations. The technologies identified in this study leverage current NASA capabilities or those proposed for Artemis and for future Mars exploration. Their continued development with Ceres as a focal point can help address unique science questions while also enabling further deep space voyages, resulting in a long-term evolvable architecture that will build upon NASA's long-duration human space exploration roadmap.