China is set to embark on a historic mission to explore two enigmatic objects in our solar system: the asteroid Kamoʻoalewa and the comet 311P/PanSTARRS. The Tianwen-2 mission aims to collect a sample from Kamoʻoalewa and return it to Earth, providing vital data on these space rocks and shedding light on their mysterious origins.
Final preparations are underway for China’s ambitious Tianwen-2 mission, which aims to visit both an asteroid and a comet. The mission will collect a 100-gram sample from the asteroid Kamoʻoalewa and return it to Earth, providing vital data on these space rocks.
Understanding Quasi-Satellites
Kamoʻoalewa is a quasi-satellite of Earth, meaning it does not strictly orbit our planet but instead travels in a similar orbit around the sun. This unusual situation has led scientists to suspect that Kamoʻoalewa may be a chunk of the moon ejected millions of years ago by an asteroid impact.
Kamo'oalewa is a figure from ancient Hawaiian mythology, associated with the moon and its cycles.
According to legend, Kamo'oalewa 'was the daughter of Kanaloa, the god of the ocean, who transformed her into a moon goddess after she was killed by her lover'.
As a result, the phases of the moon are said to reflect the different stages of their love story.
This mythological tale is still celebrated in Hawaiian culture today, symbolizing the eternal cycle of life and death.
On the other hand, 311P/PanSTARRS has an asteroid-like orbit, spinning around our sun in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, but with a more cometary appearance due to its tails. These are suspected of being bits of dust and rubble flung out from its spinning body.
PanSTARRS, short for Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System, is a rare celestial event where the planet Earth passes through a trail of comet debris.
This phenomenon occurs when a comet's ice melts due to solar radiation, releasing small particles that spread out in its orbit.
On March 12, 2013, PanSTARRS was visible in the evening sky as a bright smudge near the constellation Pisces.
The event drew significant attention from astronomers and stargazers worldwide.
With an estimated brightness of magnitude 0.1, PanSTARRS was one of the brightest comets to appear in the 21st century.
Aiming for Scientific Discovery
The CNSA’s previous statements suggest that 311P/PanSTARRS is a ‘living fossil,’ making it useful for studying the early material composition, formation process, and evolutionary history of the solar system. The Tianwen-2 mission will provide scientists with a better understanding of both Kamoʻoalewa and 311P/PanSTARRS.
However, the results won’t come quickly: the craft is due to reach 311P/PanSTARRS in 2034, and even the Kamoʻoalewa sample is expected to return to Earth only in late 2027. The CNSA’s plans for sharing scientific data are unclear, with experts speculating that the agency will hold on to the resulting data tightly.
Challenges Ahead
The mission is considered daring due to Kamoʻoalewa’s spin, which will make landing harder. Navigation algorithms are likely to demand powerful computers, and images and sensor readings will be sent back to Earth for computation. According to Dr. Leah-Nani Alconcel, the mission’s outline is known, but precise details have not been forthcoming.
The CNSA was extremely difficult to negotiate with, says Alconcel. Once they had some information from us, they were not very keen to reciprocate. There will not be a public repository of this data, I don’t think.
The China National Space Administration (CNSA) is the space agency of the People's Republic of China.
Established in 1993, CNSA oversees and coordinates China's space exploration programs.
Key achievements include landing rovers on the Moon and Mars, launching crewed spacecraft, and conducting satellite deployments.
CNSA has also made significant contributions to international cooperation in space exploration.
With a growing budget and ambitious plans, CNSA continues to play a major role in global space endeavors.
Overall, the Tianwen-2 mission represents a significant step forward in our understanding of asteroids and comets, and its success will depend on overcoming these challenges and unlocking the secrets of these enigmatic space rocks.
- newscientist.com | China is readying a mission to two rocky bodies in our solar system
