DENVER, Sept. 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The
University of Colorado Boulder and
Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) will soon lead a new space mission
to capture the first-ever closeup look at a mysterious class of
solar system objects: binary asteroids.
These bodies are pairs of asteroids that orbit around each other
in space, much like the Earth and Moon. In a project review on
Sept. 3, NASA gave the official
go-ahead to the Janus mission, named after the two-faced Roman god.
The mission will study these asteroid couplets in never-before-seen
detail. Known as Key Decision Point-C (KDP-C), this review and
approval from NASA allows for the project to begin implementation,
and baselines +the project's official schedule and budget.
It will be a moment for twos: In 2022, the Janus team will
launch two identical spacecraft that will travel millions of miles
to individually fly close to two pairs of binary asteroids. Their
observations could open up a new window into how these diverse
bodies evolve and even burst apart over time, said Daniel Scheeres, the principle investigator for
Janus.
"Binary asteroids are one class of objects for which we don't
have high-resolution scientific data," said Scheeres, distinguished
professor in the Ann and H.J. Smead Department of Aerospace
Engineering Sciences at CU Boulder. "Everything we have on them is
based on ground observations, which don't give you as much detail
as being up close."
The mission, which will cost less than $55 million under NASA's SIMPLEx program, may
also help to usher in a new era of space exploration, said Lockheed
Martin's Janus Project Manager Josh
Wood. He explained that Janus' twin spacecraft are designed
to be small and nimble, each one about the size of a carry-on
suitcase.
"We see an advantage to be able to shrink our spacecraft," said
Wood. "With technology advancements, we can now explore our solar
system and address important science questions with smaller
spacecraft."
Janus is led by the University of Colorado
Boulder, where Scheeres is based, which will also undertake
the scientific analysis of images and data for the mission.
Lockheed Martin will manage, build and operate the spacecraft.
The mission will rendezvous with two binary pairs—named 1996 FG3
and 1991 VH—each showcasing a different kind of orbital pattern.
The pair called 1991 VH, for example, has a "moon" that whips
around a much bigger "primary" asteroid following a hard-to-predict
pattern.
The team will use a suite of cameras to track the dynamical
motion in unprecedented detail. Among other goals, Scheeres and his
colleagues hope to learn more about how binary asteroids move—both
around each other and through space.
"Once we see them up close up, there will be a lot of questions
we can answer, but these will raise new questions as well,"
Scheeres said. "We think Janus will motivate additional missions to
binary asteroids."
Wood added that the mission's twin spacecraft, each of which
weigh just about 80 pounds, will travel farther than any small
satellite to date.
After blasting off in 2022, they'll first complete an orbit
around the sun, before heading back toward Earth and sling-shotting
their way far into space and beyond the orbit of Mars.
"I think it's a great test for what is achievable from the
aerospace community," Wood said. "And the Colorado-centric development for this mission,
combining the space talent of both CU Boulder and Lockheed Martin,
is a testament to the skills available in the state."
About Lockheed Martin
Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, Lockheed Martin is a
global security and aerospace company that employs approximately
110,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the
research, design, development, manufacture, integration and
sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services.
For additional information, visit our website:
www.lockheedmartin.com.
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SOURCE Lockheed Martin