WE INTEND TO SUBMIT A PROPOSAL TO THE NASA SPACE TECHNOLOGY EARLY STAGE INNOVATION OPPORTUNITY FOCUSED ON TOPIC 2: RELATIVE NAVIGATION ALGORITHMS AND SENSORS FOR AUTONOMOUS MANEUVERING IN PROXIMITY TO SMALL CELESTIAL BODIES CLOSE PROXIMITY ACTIVITIES IN THE SMALL BODY ENVIRONMENT CAN BE REDUCED TO A HANDFUL OF DYNAMICALLY MOTIVATED OPERATIONAL MODES WHICH ARE STRONGLY CORRELATED TO SPECIFIC MISSION GOALS. AN ABBREVIATED LIST OF THESE MODES ARE: INITIAL CHARACTERIZATION DETAILED SURFACE OBSERVATIONS AND BODY PARAMETER ESTIMATES TOUCH-DOWN OR SURFACE DEPLOYMENT OF PACKAGES LONG-TERM MONITORING. EACH OF THESE MODES HAS UNIQUE DYNAMICAL CONSTRAINTS THAT MAY DIFFER SIGNIFICANTLY FROM EACH OTHER AND MAY REQUIRE DIFFERENT INSTRUMENT MEASUREMENTS AND AUTONOMOUS ALGORITHMS. WHILE THE INITIAL CHARACTERIZATION PHASE IS A NECESSARY ELEMENT FOR ANY SMALL BODY MISSION THE OTHER MODES CAN BE CHOSEN DEPENDING ON THE SPECIFIC GOALS OF THE OPERATION. OUR PROPOSED RESEARCH WILL CONSIDER THE IMPLEMENTATION OF AUTONOMOUS NAVIGATION CHARACTERIZATION AND GUIDANCE TECHNIQUES THAT ARE BUILT AROUND THESE DIFFERENT OPERATIONAL MODELS. IN ADDITION WE WILL IDENTIFY MEASUREMENT NEEDS AND POSSIBLE INSTRUMENT CAPABILITIES THAT ARE REQUIRED FOR THESE MODES. OUR PURPOSE IS TO IDENTIFY COMMONALITIES BETWEEN THE NEEDS OF EACH MODE THAT CAN BE CAPTURED WITH COMMON INSTRUMENTATION NEEDS AND ALGORITHMIC APPROACHES. AN ADDITIONAL GOAL IS TO DEVELOP AUTONOMOUS SHAPE AND SPIN STATE ESTIMATION ALGORITHMS WHICH WILL SERVE AS THE FOUNDATION FOR AUTONOMOUS NAVIGATION AT SMALL BODIES.