Project Lyra: Sending a Spacecraft to 1I/'Oumuamua (former A/2017 U1), the Interstellar Asteroid

Hein, Andreas M.; Perakis, Nikolaos; Eubanks, T. M.; Hibberd, Adam; Crowl, Adam; Hayward, Kieran; Kennedy, Robert G.; Osborne, Richard H.

doi:10.48550/arxiv.1711.03155

Cited by 5 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 0 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…For instance, the HIFI instrument on the Herschel Space Observatory was used to measure the 18 O/ 16 O isotope ratio of the comet C/2009 P1 in the Oort cloud (Bockelée-Morvan et al 2012). Sending a probe to flyby the interstellar object or land on it and retrieve samples will be more challenging (Seligman & Laughlin 2018), but the scientific advantages are expected to be commensurate (Hein et al 2017). 6 One of the chief auxiliary advantages of the recent Breakthrough Starshot project, which relies on the development of light-sail propulsion, may therefore stem from its ability to undertake rapid (on the order of hours to days) flyby missions of interstellar objects within our Solar system.…”

Section: The "Interstellar Fishing Net" Of the Solar Systemmentioning

confidence: 99%

Implications of Captured Interstellar Objects for Panspermia and Extraterrestrial Life

Lingam

Loeb

2018

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

We estimate the capture rate of interstellar objects by means of three-body gravitational interactions. We apply this model to the Sun-Jupiter system and the Alpha Centauri A&B binary system, and find that the radius of the largest captured object is a few tens of km and Earth-sized respectively. We explore the implications of our model for the transfer of life by means of rocky material. The interstellar comets captured by the "fishing net" of the Solar system can be potentially distinguished by their differing orbital trajectories and ratios of oxygen isotopes through high-resolution spectroscopy of water vapor in their tails.

show abstract

Section: The "Interstellar Fishing Net" Of the Solar Systemmentioning

confidence: 99%

Implications of Captured Interstellar Objects for Panspermia and Extraterrestrial Life

Lingam

Loeb

2018

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Future detections and compositional measurements will demonstrate whether or not these objects are representative of the population. The LSST should detect one interstellar object every year (Hoover et al 2022), and a space-based in situ rendezvous may be performed in the upcoming decade (Seligman & Laughlin 2018;Hein et al 2017;Meech et al 2019;Castillo-Rogez et al 2019;Hibberd et al 2020;Donitz et al 2021;Meech et al 2021;Hibberd et al 2022;Moore et al 2021a). The ESA's Comet Interceptor (Jones & ESA Comet Interceptor Team 2019;Pau Sánchez et al 2022) mission or the NASA concept study BRIDGE (Moore et al 2021b) may provide these observations.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Volatile Carbon-to-oxygen Ratio as a Tracer for the Formation Locations of Interstellar Comets

et al. 2022

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Based on the occurrence rates implied by the discoveries of 1I/‘Oumuamua and 2I/Borisov, the forthcoming Rubin Observatory Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST) should detect ≥one interstellar object every year. We advocate for future measurements of the production rates of H2O, CO2, and CO in these objects to estimate their carbon-to-oxygen ratios, which trace formation locations within their original protoplanetary disks. We review similar measurements for solar system comets, which indicate formation interior to the CO snow line. By quantifying the relative processing in the interstellar medium and solar system, we estimate that production rates will not be representative of primordial compositions for the majority of interstellar comets. Preferential desorption of CO and CO2 relative to H2O in the interstellar medium implies that measured C/O ratios represent lower limits on the primordial ratios. Specifically, production rate ratios of Q(CO)/Q(H2O) < 0.2 and Q(CO)/Q(H2O) > 1 likely indicate formation interior and exterior to the CO snow line, respectively. The high C/O ratio of 2I/Borisov implies that it formed exterior to the CO snow line. We provide an overview of the currently operational facilities capable of obtaining these measurements that will constrain the fraction of ejected comets that formed exterior to the CO snow line. This fraction will provide key insights into the efficiency of and mechanisms for cometary ejection in exoplanetary systems.

show abstract

“…It is worth noting that when 'Oumuamua was detected and announced in late October 2017, it had already passed its periastron location (which occurred on 9 September, 2017), and indeed, was already more than 1 AU from the Sun. Hein et al (2017) reported a preliminary investigation of mission designs aimed at intercepting 'Oumuamua itself. At present (and especially going forward) such missions are very challenging to mount, due to the large ∆v's required to catch up with the rapidly departing object.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…At present (and especially going forward) such missions are very challenging to mount, due to the large ∆v's required to catch up with the rapidly departing object. Hein et al (2017) considered trajectories that include direct transfers, as well as missions that employ a combination of Jovian gravity assist and Solar Oberth maneuvers (see, e.g. Bond & Allman 1996), and they speculated on the potential use of advanced technologies such as solar sails, laser propulsion, and magnetospheric "chipsat" acceleration.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Feasibility and Benefits of In Situ Exploration of ‘Oumuamua-like Objects

Seligman

Laughlin

2018

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

A rapid accumulation of observations and interpretation have followed in the wake of 1I 'Oumuamua's passage through the inner Solar System. We briefly outline the consequences that this first detection of an interstellar asteroid implies for the planet-forming process, and we assess the near-term prospects for detecting and observing (both remotely and in situ) future Solar System visitors of this type. Drawing on detailed heattransfer calculations that take both 'Oumuamua's unusual shape and its chaotic tumbling into account, we affirm that the lack of a detectable coma in deep images of the object very likely arises from the presence of a radiation-modified coating of high molecular weight material (rather than a refractory bulk composition). Assuming that 'Oumuamua is a typical representative of a larger population with a kinematic distribution similar to Population I stars in the local galactic neighborhood, we calculate expected arrival rates, impact parameters and velocities of similar objects and assess their prospects for detection using operational and forthcoming facilities. Using 'Oumuamua as a proof-of-concept, we assess the prospects for missions that intercept interstellar objects (ISOs) using conventional chemical propulsion. Using a "launch on detection" paradigm, we estimate wait times of order 10 years between favorable mission opportunities with the detection capabilities of the Large-Scale Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST), a figure that will be refined as the population of interstellar asteroids becomes observationally better constrained. Subject headings: asteroids: individual (1I/2017 U1 ('Oumuamua)), galaxy: local interstellar matter

show abstract

Project Lyra: Sending a Spacecraft to 1I/'Oumuamua (former A/2017 U1), the Interstellar Asteroid

Cited by 5 publications

References 0 publications

Implications of Captured Interstellar Objects for Panspermia and Extraterrestrial Life

Implications of Captured Interstellar Objects for Panspermia and Extraterrestrial Life

The Volatile Carbon-to-oxygen Ratio as a Tracer for the Formation Locations of Interstellar Comets

The Feasibility and Benefits of In Situ Exploration of ‘Oumuamua-like Objects

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About