Flying across the outer moon?
Many scientists want to get a closer look at one of Jupiter’s outer moons. Two new spacecraft will arrive on the planet in the next few years: NASA’s Europa Clipper in 2030, and the European Space Agency’s JUICE one year later.
The two spacecraft had to be launched into precise orbits that would allow them to study Jupiter’s inner moons. The only chance to visit the outer moon may occur when the probe enters the system.
Bonnie Buratti, Europa Clipper’s deputy project scientist, said her team is conducting analyzes to see whether the Clipper’s incoming trajectory can be nudged to send it past the outer moon. So far, they have not found an opportunity to fly closer than one million kilometers (620,000 miles) – more than twice the distance between the Earth and the Moon.
“I doubt we will be able to get close to any of them, or even be able to “see” them with any instruments,” he said. “The problem is: To get close, we have to expend precious spacecraft fuel and redesign the tour. Is it worth the time, money and resources and having to give up one or more cross-Europe flights? Not likely.”
The JUICE team carried out a similar analysis two years ago and couldn’t find any flyby opportunities, said Olivier Witasse, head of ESA’s Solar Systems section. The team is reconsidering that assessment following the discovery of the new moon, and adjustments to JUICE’s trajectory.
“As new moons are discovered, new trajectories and launch performance assessments, we will repeat the analysis after launch to examine the situation,” he said. “If we find a good opportunity and we have enough fuel, we might make the decision to go for it.”
Meanwhile, outer lunar work will remain within telescope reach. In addition to looking for moons on Jupiter and Saturn, Sheppard said his team also has a separate project looking for new moons around Uranus and Neptune.
“We just sit on these planets for long periods of time trying to find very faint objects,” he said. “So that’s something we’re working on right now.”
The four outer planets likely have many more moons waiting to be discovered. Just like the beginning of the Solar System, the number of moons on each planet is dynamic and can change.
2023-10-26 12:46:17
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