Original text | MATT WILLIAMS
Translation | Linvo
In October 2017, the interstellar visit " Aomumo " passed through our solar system and left many puzzles. Not only is it the first interstellar object ever observed, but it also makes them confused by the limited data obtained by astronomers from the time it rushed out of the solar system. Even today, five years after the interstellar visitor flew across the earth, scientists still cannot determine its truth and origin. Finally, the only way to get some real answers from it is to catch up with it.
Interestingly, there are many proposals for tasks that can do this on the desktop now. Take the Project Lyra as an example, proposed by the Interstellar Institute (i4is), which will rely on advanced propulsion technology to merge with interstellar objects (ISOs). According to their latest research, if their mission concept is launched in 2028 and performs complex Jupiter Obers maneuver (JOM), it will be able to catch up with the "Oumuamu" in 26 years.
On October 30, 2017, less than two weeks after the discovery of "Oumuamu", the Interstellar Research Initiative (i4is) launched the Project Lyra. The purpose of this study is to determine whether the task of rendezvousing with "Oumuamu" using the latest technology is feasible. Since then, the i4is team has conducted some research to consider using nuclear thermal propulsion (NTP) and a laser sailboat similar to "Breakthrough Star Photo" to catch up with interstellar objects. " Breakthrough Star Photo " is an interstellar mission concept designed to reach Centauri within 20 years.
As they described in their research, most of the previously proposed methods to reach Oumuamu with the latest technology require the "Sun Obers Maneuvering Method" (SOM). A perfect example is "Sundiver", which was proposed by Coryn Bailer-Jones, a researcher at the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy (MPIA). This concept is an light sail , which relies on the sun's radiation pressure to obtain a very high speed.
The principle of the Obers effect is that when you move fast enough relative to an object that is orbiting, that is, in the case of Sundiver, you get a boost. "In your orbit, the closer you are to the sun, the faster you will be. So to take advantage of the Obers effect, you need to be as close to the sun as possible." At the heart of
SOM and other Obers-like ways is a technology called gravitational boost, which has been used to explore the solar system since the early 1970s. This technology requires the use of the gravity of three objects, including a spacecraft, a second object that provides a "boost" (usually a -large planet ) and a central object that controls the spacecraft's path.
Adam Hibberd, a researcher at i4is, is the lead author of the recent Lyra Project study. Before joining i4is, Hibberd was an aerospace engineer who developed the Best Interstellar Orbit Software (OITS). When "Oumuamu" was detected, he decided to use OITS and this ISO as the intended destination. After learning about the Lyra program, he quickly joined their research.
SOM depends on three discrete velocity changes leaving the solar system. These include:
1, on Earth, increasing the distance of the spacecraft's ahelves (ahelves),
2, at the ahelves, decelerating and approaching the sun,
3, at the perihelves, the spacecraft flies at the fastest speed to get additional boosts
0, Theodore Edelbaum discovered the three ways in 1959, although the term SOM seems to have been used. It is the best fuel for high-speed flights outside the solar system. This is exactly what it takes to capture ISO when the ISO has passed the perihelion and quickly move away from the sun. ”
However, this theory does not take into account Jupiter . Therefore, as a slight modification, if we slow down with the help of reverse Jupiter gravity with the help of the second step, then we can achieve less fuel escape. This is because SOM is very effective in generating high speeds, and it has been used in research tasks in ISO.”
To find an alternative to SOM, Hibert and his colleagues consider taking a time-tested route that will combine Jupiter’s powerful gravity. They do this partly because of the inherent challenges posed by the solar gravity boost. While this exercise looks great on paper, it has never been performed before, so the TRL rating is low.
Interstellar Reconnaissance Mission will be the farthest mission to date, which will surpass the Voyager and New Horizons probes.
More importantly, the question of how much heat will occur when the lightsail reaches perihelion in step 3 (between 3 and 10 solar radii). These issues are in NASA ’s recent entitled “Interstellar Reconnaissance” The research on the concept of solar and space physics in the Detection: Human Interstellar Space Journey has been addressed. This study was conducted for the 2023-2032 decade survey of Sun and Space Physics, which included the concept of an interstellar probe. In Appendix D2.2, the study explores thermal protection in the context of Sun Obers:
Unlike previous missions, a shield design is required at a given solar distance, and the challenge of the interstellar probe is to see how close a spacecraft can actually be to the sun. As the distance to the sun decreases, the umbrella shadow angle increases, the size of the sunshade will increase significantly compared to the spacecraft.
"Because initial design work cannot include all material design, manufacturing, and testing limitations for the entire design, it seems impossible to recommend a design-based recommendation for ultimate safe sun distance. "
As Parker Solar Detector fully demonstrated, to get close to the sun, a heat shield that can withstand extreme heat and radiation is needed. Take Parker as an example, its shield has a diameter of about 2.44 meters and weighs about 72.5 kg. Although the size and quality of the Lyra planned heat shield is different, it is certain that the sun heat shield will bring a lot of extra mass to the light sail.
A group of laser sailing ships leave the solar system
As an alternative, Hibberd and his team recommend Jupiter Obers maneuvering mode (JOM), which will launch from Earth and then rotate around Venus and Earth for deep space (DSM), rotate through Earth again, and then use Jupiter's gravity to get a gravitational boost. This is by the abbreviation V-E-DSM-E-J, or the more commonly used V-E-E-GA - Venus, Earth, Earth, Gravity Boost. As Hibbed pointed out, this strategy has several advantages over SOM, including:
It does not require a heavy heat shield, nor does it require:
A) Extra travel distance from Jupiter to Sun Obers (about 5.2 AUTOUTUM)
B) and then the extra travel distance from back to Jupiter orbit
B) Both (A) and (B) require SOM time, and Jupiter Obers maneuvering method does not require.
"JOM is a discovery, it is the key to the Lyra project, and can be found using state-of-the-art technology, because it essentially does not require any hardware or operations that have not been tried before, unlike SOM. However, although time is saved as terms (A) and (B) above are not required, the lower escape speed generated by JOM means that the task duration must be longer. Another advantage that Hibberd and his team discovered is the arrival speed of the spacecraft, which will be much slower than the SOM-dependent spacecraft — 18 km/s vs. 30 km/s. This will give Lyra more time to analyze the situation of the "Oumuamu" as it approaches and leaves. Based on the 2028 launch window, they determined that the light sails of the Lyra project will be able to catch up with "Oumuamu" by 2054.
"Considering that Oumuamu is the closest interstellar matter we can get close to, the scientific rewards of this mission will be immeasurable. "Because the relatively low cost of this mission, humans can first glimpse into other galaxies in the middle of the century.More importantly, this will be an opportunity to ultimately solve many of the problems raised by "Aumuamu" when it flew over the earth through historic flight many years ago! Is
a nitrogen iceberg? Is it an alien? Is it something completely different? If we handle it properly, we will know the answers to all these questions by the middle of this century!
Original text:
https://www.universetoday.com/154028/if-launched-by-2028-a-spacecraft- could-catch-up-with-ouumuamua-in-26-years/
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