The NASA Juno spacecraft could be sent to intercept the interstellar object
NASA / JPL-CALTECH
An interstellar object that is currently rushing into our solar system will complete around the sun and will disappear in the depths distant from the cosmos in a few months. Astronomers will be able to capture images while the 3i / Atlas comet will cross our area of space, but do we have a chance to intercept this object – only the third of its kind never spotted – to find out more?
Scientists from around the world explore various options to do exactly this, in particular proposals for the reaches for nasa and the missions of the European Space Agency (ESA) already in space and reuse shelves spaceships for a hasty launch. But with the comet moving 60 kilometers per second and so shortly to prepare, it will not be easy.
One of the proposed plans comes from Avi Loeb at Harvard University, which controversially suggested that the interstellar object ‘Oumuamua could be a foreign spacecraft and made similar complaints concerning 3i / Atlas. Loeb and his colleagues have published an article, which was not evaluated by peers, proposing that the Juno of NASA spacecraft could be released from its current orbit around Jupiter to meet 3i / Atlas on March 14 of next year.
The idea is not without its problems. Mark Burchell at the University of Kent, in the United Kingdom, underlines that Juno is old – and shows his age. The profession was launched in 2011 and was initially intended to end its mission by crashing on the surface of Jupiter in 2021, although this was then postponed to September this year. He has already encountered two technical problems this year, both rectified by engineers.
“His current orbit allows him to see Jupiter closely, and his visits to IO [a moon of Jupiter] in 2023 [and] 2024 exposed it to a lot of radiation. It is therefore not surprising that he now shows anomalies in performance that requires a restart, “says Buchell.” Could this be re-tassed? In theory, if it can be done and the instruments work, there are new data there. »»
In an article on X, Jason Wright at the Pennsylvania State University also expressed his skepticism about the idea, stressing that the profession is low in fuel and has problems with its engine.
Another probe already in space that could look more closely at 3i / Atlas is the Jupiter Moons Explorer (Juice) of ESA, which is currently on the way to the planet to study three of its moons. Luca Conversi at ESA says that the agency examines this possibility. “We are aware of this precious opportunity and currently explore the technical feasibility. I cannot add too much for the moment, unfortunately, ”explains Conversi.
But while Juice would have a narrower view than the earth, she will not be able to change course to 3i / Atlas. “I’m not sure it is possible to send it to the comet: unfortunately astro-dynamic is more complicated than what we see in science fiction films, and it is not easy to change the course of spacecrafts,” explains Conversi.
There are several spaces currently in orbit around Mars approaching the end of their lifespan, such as March Recognition Orbiter and Mars Odyssey, which could have a chance to take a 3i / Atlas overflight, according to his colleagues. The advantage of this approach is that the comet will pass much closer to March than from the earth, but it is not yet clear if one of these professions has enough fuel for the trip.
ESA is working on another mission that should give us a better chance of getting closer to an interstellar object in the future. The Comet Interceptor spacecraft, due to the launch in 2029, will stroll at a stable point between the earth and the sun, while waiting for the discovery of a comet or an interstellar object that it can run to meet and investigate. The mission is very unusual because at the time of launch, scientists will still have no idea of its planned objective, or when this target will appear.
Colin Snodgrass at the University of Edinburgh, in the United Kingdom, the deputy chief of Comet Interceptor, says that even this mission “would need a little more punch” to catch an object moving as quickly as 3i / Atlas. For these fast visitors, the most realistic approach is to have a big mission with much more fuel and fewer sensors. “If you really want to have something that happens quickly and you look, then you strip it until the minimum useful payload and put all the fuel mass – and you would then have a chance,” he said.
Another idea that could be useful in the future is to put a small satellite in a large orbit once a month. “You would end up with these things spaced all around the terrestrial orbit,” explains Snodgrass. “And therefore during a given month, one of them will come back to the ground and could use Gravity Assist to go in an interesting place.”
Astronomy projects such as the Legacy survey on space and time will soon give us a better understanding of the number of these objects which enter our solar system, as well as previous warnings of their arrival. “It would certainly make a difference when it goes so fast. Even if you were a year old [of] Warning instead of a few months of warning before perihelion, it would make a big difference, ”explains Snodgrass.
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