Astronomy: Space Mission Budget and Payload Trade-Offs
Planning a mission by balancing cost, mass, power, and science goals
Astronomy: Space Mission Budget and Payload Trade-Offs
Planning a mission by balancing cost, mass, power, and science goals
Astronomy - Grade 6-8
- 1
A small Moon orbiter has a total mission budget of $120 million. The rocket launch costs $55 million, spacecraft construction costs $38 million, and mission operations cost $12 million. How much money is left for science instruments?
Add the costs that are already required, then subtract from the total budget.
The total fixed cost is $55 million + $38 million + $12 million = $105 million. The amount left for science instruments is $120 million - $105 million = $15 million. - 2
A mission can carry at most 80 kg of science payload. The team wants to bring a camera that is 18 kg, a magnetometer that is 12 kg, a dust detector that is 9 kg, an infrared spectrometer that is 22 kg, and a drill that is 25 kg. Can all five instruments fit within the payload mass limit? Explain.
Add all instrument masses and compare the sum to 80 kg.
The total mass is 18 kg + 12 kg + 9 kg + 22 kg + 25 kg = 86 kg. All five instruments cannot fit because 86 kg is 6 kg over the 80 kg limit. - 3
The table shows four possible instruments for an asteroid mission. Choose a set of instruments that stays within both the $30 million instrument budget and the 60 kg payload limit. Instrument A costs $8 million and has a mass of 12 kg. Instrument B costs $14 million and has a mass of 25 kg. Instrument C costs $11 million and has a mass of 18 kg. Instrument D costs $9 million and has a mass of 20 kg. Give one valid set and show that it works.
Check both limits. A set must pass the cost limit and the mass limit.
One valid set is Instruments A, B, and C. Their cost is $8 million + $14 million + $11 million = $33 million, so that set does not work. A valid set is Instruments A, C, and D. Their cost is $8 million + $11 million + $9 million = $28 million, and their mass is 12 kg + 18 kg + 20 kg = 50 kg, so they stay within both limits. - 4
A Mars lander has 200 watts available for instruments during the daytime. Its camera uses 35 watts, weather station uses 25 watts, drill uses 90 watts, and chemical analyzer uses 70 watts. If all four run at the same time, will the lander stay within the power limit?
The total power use is 35 watts + 25 watts + 90 watts + 70 watts = 220 watts. The lander will not stay within the power limit because 220 watts is 20 watts more than the 200 watt limit. - 5
A spacecraft team can save $6 million by using a smaller antenna, but the spacecraft will send data back to Earth 25% more slowly. Describe one possible benefit and one possible drawback of this choice.
Think about both the budget and the science data.
A possible benefit is that the mission saves $6 million, which could be used for another instrument or to reduce the total cost. A possible drawback is that slower data return may delay science results or limit how many images and measurements can be sent back. - 6
A mission designer gives each instrument a science score from 1 to 10. A visible camera costs $6 million and has a science score of 6. A radar mapper costs $18 million and has a science score of 9. A particle detector costs $5 million and has a science score of 4. Which instrument gives the greatest science score per million dollars? Show your work.
Divide the science score by the cost for each instrument.
The visible camera gives 6 ÷ 6 = 1 science point per million dollars. The radar mapper gives 9 ÷ 18 = 0.5 science points per million dollars. The particle detector gives 4 ÷ 5 = 0.8 science points per million dollars. The visible camera gives the greatest science score per million dollars. - 7
A spacecraft can carry either a high resolution camera or a wide angle camera, but not both. The high resolution camera sees small details on a narrow area of a moon's surface. The wide angle camera sees a large area but with less detail. If the mission goal is to map the entire surface quickly, which camera is the better choice and why?
The wide angle camera is the better choice because the mission goal is to map the entire surface quickly. Seeing a larger area in each image is more important than seeing the smallest details for this goal. - 8
A probe has room for 40 kg more payload. The team is choosing between adding extra batteries with a mass of 16 kg, a backup computer with a mass of 10 kg, and a small telescope with a mass of 18 kg. Can the team add all three? If yes, how much payload mass remains?
Add the masses of the three items before deciding.
The total added mass is 16 kg + 10 kg + 18 kg = 44 kg. The team cannot add all three because 44 kg is 4 kg more than the remaining 40 kg payload capacity. - 9
A Europa flyby mission has two possible instrument packages. Package 1 costs $42 million, has a mass of 55 kg, and can study the surface ice. Package 2 costs $48 million, has a mass of 50 kg, and can study the surface ice plus measure magnetic fields that may give clues about an ocean. The mission can spend up to $50 million and carry up to 60 kg. Which package would you choose for the best science return, and why?
I would choose Package 2 because it stays within the $50 million budget and the 60 kg mass limit. It also studies the surface ice and measures magnetic fields, so it provides more science information than Package 1. - 10
A mission's total budget is shown as a circle graph: launch 40%, spacecraft 30%, operations 15%, and science instruments 15%. If the total budget is $200 million, how much money is assigned to science instruments?
Convert 15% to 0.15, then multiply by the total budget.
Science instruments receive 15% of $200 million. Since 0.15 × 200 = 30, the science instrument budget is $30 million. - 11
A rover must be kept under 500 kg. The basic rover body is 410 kg. The team wants to add a 35 kg camera mast, a 28 kg scoop, and a 40 kg mini-lab. Which one item must be removed so the rover is within the mass limit while keeping the other two items?
Find the total mass first, then see how much mass must be removed.
With all three items, the rover mass is 410 kg + 35 kg + 28 kg + 40 kg = 513 kg. It must lose at least 13 kg. Removing any one of the three items would reduce the mass enough, so the team could remove the scoop, the camera mast, or the mini-lab and stay within the 500 kg limit. - 12
A spacecraft's solar panels produce 300 watts near Earth but only 75 watts near Jupiter because sunlight is weaker there. Explain how this lower power could affect payload choices for a Jupiter mission.
Lower power means the spacecraft cannot run as many instruments at the same time, and it may need instruments that use less electricity. The team might choose fewer instruments, smaller instruments, or instruments that can take turns operating. - 13
A mission has $20 million left. The team can buy a spectrometer for $12 million, a dust sensor for $6 million, a radiation detector for $5 million, or a thermal camera for $9 million. Choose the combination with the highest total cost that does not go over $20 million, and show your work.
Try combinations and reject any total above $20 million.
One highest cost combination is the spectrometer, dust sensor, and radiation detector. Their total cost is $12 million + $6 million + $5 million = $23 million, so that does not work. The spectrometer and thermal camera cost $12 million + $9 million = $21 million, so that also does not work. The dust sensor, radiation detector, and thermal camera cost $6 million + $5 million + $9 million = $20 million, so this combination uses the full budget without going over. - 14
A sample return mission can bring back 120 grams of material. Scientists want samples from three locations: crater floor, hilltop, and dark rock field. If each location needs at least 30 grams to be useful, is it possible to collect useful samples from all three locations? How many grams would remain if exactly 30 grams were collected from each?
Yes, it is possible to collect useful samples from all three locations. The minimum total is 30 grams + 30 grams + 30 grams = 90 grams, so 120 grams - 90 grams = 30 grams would remain. - 15
Two teams disagree about a spacecraft design. Team A wants to add one expensive instrument that could make a major discovery but would use most of the budget. Team B wants to add three smaller instruments that answer different questions but may not make one large discovery. Write a short recommendation that explains which plan you would choose and what trade-off your choice makes.
There is more than one reasonable answer if you support it with mission goals and trade-offs.
A strong recommendation should choose one plan and explain the trade-off. For example, I would choose Team B's plan because three smaller instruments can answer more types of science questions and reduce the risk of relying on one instrument. The trade-off is that the mission may miss the chance for one major discovery from the expensive instrument.