Calathus is a proposed student-designed Ceres sample-return mission , that would consist of an orbiter and a lander with an ascent module. The orbiter would be equipped with a camera, a thermal imager, and a radar; the lander will have a sampling arm, a camera, and a gas chromatograph mass spectrometer . Mission objective is to return maximum 40 grams (1.4 oz) of Ceresian soil. ^[1] The mission was designed and proposed in 2018 with support of ESA . ^[2]

Spacecraft should take samples from Occator Crater , ^[2] that was studied and photographed by NASA's Dawn . The objectives are: ^[2]

• to understand whether Ceres contains the ingredients for life
• to understand where Ceres was formed
• to understand whether asteroids like Ceres were responsible for delivering water and organics to Earth

Further reading [ edit ]

• "The Calathus Mission" (PDF) . Alpbach Summer School .
• "SAMPLE RETURN FROM A RELIC OCEAN WORLD: THE CALATHUS MISSION TO OCCATOR CRATER, CERES" (PDF) . 51st Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (2020) . 2021.

References [ edit ]

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