NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft is all set to start its search for hard-to-find Earth “Trojan” asteroids from Feb 9.
Trojan asteroids orbit the sun and are constant companions of a specific planet. These asteroids remain near a stable point 60 degrees in front of or behind the companion planet, and never collide with it as they either lead or follow in the same orbit.
In our solar system, six planets – Jupiter, Neptune, Mars, Venus, Uranus and Earth – are known to have Trojan asteroids. While Jupiter has around 6000 Trojan asteroids, only one Earth Trojan asteroid 2010 TK7 has been discovered to date. Scientists believe there should be more Earth Trojans, but it is difficult to detect such asteroids from Earth because they appear close to the Sun from Earth’s point of view.
NASA’s OSIRIS-REx (Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security- Regolith Explorer) spacecraft is currently on a journey to asteroid Bennu. The primary aim of this mission is to study asteroid Bennu and bring a sample from it to Earth.
According to NASA, OSIRIS-REx spacecraft – for 12 days starting from February 9 – will be positioned in an ideal spot to undertake a survey. During this period, the OSIRIS-Rex’s MapCam image system will be used to methodically scan the space where scientists think Earth Trojans could exist.
“The Earth-Trojan asteroid search provides a substantial advantage to the OSIRIS-REx mission,” said Dante Lauretta of the University of Arizona, who is also OSIRIS-REx Principal Investigator.
“Not only do we have the opportunity to discover new members of an asteroid class, but more importantly, we are practising critical mission operations in advance of our arrival at Bennu, which ultimately reduces mission risk,” said Lauretta.
Launched on 8 September 2016, OSIRIS-Rex is a NASA mission that aims to study asteroid 101955 Bennu, and return a sample to Earth for its detailed analysis. The full form of OSIRIS-Rex is the Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security, Regolith Explorer. The mission, if successful, will be the first US spacecraft to return samples from an asteroid, thus enabling scientists to learn more about the formation and evolution of the Solar System, source of organic compounds that led to the formation of life on Earth, and much more. The mission is expected to cost about US$800 million, not including US$183.5 million cost of Atlas V launch vehicle. OSIRIS-Rex is the third planetary science mission – after Juno and New Horizons – under the New Frontiers program. Dante Lauretta from the University of Arizona is the Principal Investigator of OSIRIS-Rex mission.
Established in 1958, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration or NASA is the space agency of United States of America and is responsible for the civilian space program and aeronautics/aerospace research. Since being established in 1958, NASA has led US in its space exploration efforts, including the Skylab space station, the Apollo moon-landing mission, and Space Shuttle. NASA also shares its data with various national and international organizations.
In the past 50 years, NASA has carried out a variety of manned and unmanned spaceflight programs. Unmanned programs included launching the first American artificial satellites into Earth orbit, sending scientific probes to different planets such as Mars and Venus, and others. Manned programs included sending the first Americans into low Earth orbit (LEO), accomplishing successful human landing on Moon in 1969 through Apollo program, and developing semi-reusable LEO Space Shuttle and space station.
Currently, NASA is working in association with Russia and European Space Agency to manage the International Space Station. The agency is also overseeing the development of the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle, Commercial Crew vehicles, and the Space Launch System.
