| Issue 2 | Volume 146 | Tuesday, September 13, 2016 | theavion.com |
Zachary Fedewa/The Avion Newspaper
OSIRIS-REx: Asteroid Bound
Zachary Fedewa Advertising Manager
United Launch Alliance’s Atlas V 411 rocket has successfully launched the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft into hyperbolic orbit away from earth. It is currently beginning its seven-year journey to and from the asteroid Bennu to collect material samples. These material samples will help scientists investigate
the origins of our solar system as well as understanding how asteroids have an effect on earth. Not only will this sample increase our understanding of space material, it will enhance our knowledge of water and organic material. The Atlas V rocket is constructed by utilizing a traditional booster, a solid rocket booster, the Centaur, and the OSIRISREx payload. At 248.8
seconds into the launch, the booster and Centaur separate. At this point, the Centaur vehicle propels the payload into higher orbit. At roughly one hour into the mission, the OSIRISRex is officially on it own after being separated from the Centaur. It will take the sample vehicle a little over two years to reach Bennu, at which point it will start approaching and survey-
ing the surface. The spacecraft is equipped with an X-ray Imaging Spectrometer (REXIS), a laser altimeter, and a visible and IR Spectrometer which will assist in mapping high resolution images of the asteroid. In July 2020, the spacecraft will decelerate to 10 cm/s slower than the velocity of Bennu, at which point OSIRIS-REx will begin its sampling approach. A Touch-and-
Go Sample Acquisition Mechanism (TAGSAM) has been specially engineered to give the asteroid a five second “high-five” as opposed to landing on it. This process uses nitrogen gas to disturb the surface material, which in turn, blows it up into the collection tube. In March 2021, OSIRIS-REx will begin its journey back to earth by firing its main booster to propel itself on a
ballistic trajectory that intersects the orbit of the earth. The collection module will free-fall and depyloy a parachute 1.9 miles above the Utah desert on September 24, 2023. The Atlas V OSIRISREx launch has been considered a tremendous success, “Mission managers said the launch was flawless, the spacecraft is in excellent health and that the mission is hitting all its early milestones”.
Proxima B: Potential for Alien Life Keenan Thungtrakul Senior Reporter
What’s Inside
While NASA's Kepler Telescope has found thousands of exoplanets, scientists have discovered a new exoplanet that is right in our cosmic backyard. Dubbed "Proxima b," this rocky exoplanet orbits the star Proxima Centauri, a red dwarf 4.22 light years from Earth. What makes the planet so interesting is that it orbits its parent star in the so-called "habitable zone", which means the planet possesses the ability to retain liquid water on its surface, and thus perhaps, some form of alien life. According to data published in a Space.com arti-
cle, the orbital period of this rocky exoplanet is only eleven days. Since Proxima Centauri is smaller and dimmer than our sun, the habitable zone is closer in towards the star. The planet is believed to be tidally locked, which means the same side of the planet faces the star at all times. This orientation would mean a harsher radiation environment than what we have on Earth. Still, scientists think there may be some form of alien life there. However, it is unclear whether the planet has an atmosphere, and if so, whether that atmosphere can even sustain liquid water. The surface tem-
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perature is also unknown since it is highly dependent on the composition of the atmosphere. Red dwarfs fire off powerful flares, which can destroy a planet’s atmosphere if there is no magnetic field to protect against such outbursts. It is unknown whether Proxima b even has a magnetic field. Planetary magnetic fields are supported by interplanetary convection, a process by which hot material from the core rises, cools and then returns. Rotation helps, but recent research says that convection is more than sufficient to maintain a strong planetary magnetic field. The possibility of life on
Image Courtesy/ NASA An artist’s rendition of sunset on Proxima B, the recently-discovered planet that might harbor alien life.
Proxima b remains complicated. Even though the planet is in a location where liquid water can exist on the surface, the amount of water actually present is another issue. If the planet formed far away from
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the star and migrated in, then it has a better shot at retaining water ice, which ensures a good supply of water. If it formed further inward, then most of the water could have been heated to vapor and lost,
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or it could have faced a scenario like the young Earth where its water was lost then replaced by comet and asteroid impacts. Bottom line? Alien life may be closer, but it remains a difficult puzzle.