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Universe
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Space Missions to Small Bodies: Results and Future Activities
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Space Missions to Small Bodies: Results and Future Activities

A special issue of Universe (ISSN 2218-1997). This special issue belongs to the section "Planetary Sciences".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2024) | Viewed by 8336

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Andrea Longobardo

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Istituto di Astrofisica e Planetologia Spaziale INAF-IAPS, via Fosso del Cavaliere 100, 00133 Rome, Italy
Interests: planetary science; in situ instrumentation; sample return; small bodies; comets; asteroids; space contamination

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Small bodies (asteroids, comets, and satellites) are the most primitive bodies of the solar system and therefore crucial to understanding its origin and early evolution. Lately, the study of small bodies has advanced significantly thanks to space missions developed in recent years, which observed asteroids (Vesta, Trojan asteroids, Toutatis, Itokawa, Ryugu, Bennu), comets (67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko), satellites (Moon), and dwarf planets (Ceres and Pluto). Nevertheless, other space missions will be launched in the coming years from all the main agencies around the world and will observe asteroids and comets never visited so far, as well as return samples from asteroids and satellites (Moon and Martian satellites). An important role is also being played by already launched and upcoming space telescopes, aimed at observing several small bodies of our solar system.

This Special Issue welcomes papers on new results concerning:

  • Data analysis of space missions to small bodies, including observations from space telescopes and analysis of samples returned from Hayabusa, Hayabusa2, Chang’e 5, and previous sample return missions;
  • Development of instruments, technologies, scientific activities, and software for future/upcoming missions to small bodies, including advances in sample return technology;
  • Laboratory activity, supporting data interpretation and future missions to small bodies;
  • Comparison between ground and space observations of small bodies.

Review papers on these topics are also welcome.

Dr. Andrea Longobardo
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Universe is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • small bodies
  • planetary science
  • sample return
  • comets
  • asteroids
  • satellites

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Published Papers (6 papers)

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Editorial

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3 pages, 145 KiB  
Editorial
Editorial to the Special Issue “Space Missions to Small Bodies: Results and Future Activities”
by Andrea Longobardo
Universe 2024, 10(11), 425; https://doi.org/10.3390/universe10110425 - 14 Nov 2024
Viewed by 370
Abstract
Small bodies (asteroids, comets, and satellites) are the most primitive bodies of our solar system and, for this reason, represent the key to understanding its origin and early evolution [...] Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Space Missions to Small Bodies: Results and Future Activities)

Research

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26 pages, 52439 KiB  
Article
Photometry and Models of Seven Main-Belt Asteroids
by Jun Tian, Haibin Zhao, Bin Li, Yongxiong Zhang, Jian Chen, Leonid Elenin and Xiaoping Lu
Universe 2024, 10(10), 395; https://doi.org/10.3390/universe10100395 - 14 Oct 2024
Viewed by 688
Abstract
The China Near-Earth Object Survey Telescope (CNEOST) conducted four photometric surveys from 2015 to 2018 using image processing and aperture photometry techniques to obtain extensive light curve data on asteroids. The second-order Fourier series method was selected for its efficiency in determining the [...] Read more.
The China Near-Earth Object Survey Telescope (CNEOST) conducted four photometric surveys from 2015 to 2018 using image processing and aperture photometry techniques to obtain extensive light curve data on asteroids. The second-order Fourier series method was selected for its efficiency in determining the rotation periods of the observed asteroids. Our study successfully derived rotation periods for 892 asteroids, with 648 of those matching values recorded in the LCDB (for asteroids with U > 2). To enhance the reliability of the derived spin parameters and shape models, we also amassed a comprehensive collection of published light curve data supplemented by additional photometric observations on a targeted subset of asteroids conducted using multiple telescopes between 2021 and 2022. Through the application of convex inversion techniques, we successfully derived spin parameters and shape models for seven main-belt asteroids (MBAs): (2233) Kuznetsov, (2294) Andronikov, (2253) Espinette, (4796) Lewis, (1563) Noel, (2912) Lapalma, and (5150) Fellini. Our thorough analysis identified two credible orientations for the rotational poles of these MBAs, shedding light on the prevalent issue of “ambiguity in pole direction” that often accompanies photometric inversion processes. CNEOST continues its observational endeavors, and future collected data combined with other independent photometric measurements will facilitate further inversion to better constrain the spin parameters and yield more refined shape models. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Space Missions to Small Bodies: Results and Future Activities)
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19 pages, 8702 KiB  
Article
Rapid Orbit-to-Orbit Transfer to Asteroid 4660 Nereus Using Solar Electric Propulsion
by Alessandro A. Quarta, Giovanni Mengali and Marco Bassetto
Universe 2023, 9(11), 459; https://doi.org/10.3390/universe9110459 - 26 Oct 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1450
Abstract
This paper analyzes the rapid rendezvous trajectory of a spacecraft equipped with an advanced solar electric propulsion system towards asteroid 4660 Nereus. In this context, a set of possible minimum-time orbit-to-orbit transfer trajectories is calculated by modeling the propulsion system performance characteristics on [...] Read more.
This paper analyzes the rapid rendezvous trajectory of a spacecraft equipped with an advanced solar electric propulsion system towards asteroid 4660 Nereus. In this context, a set of possible minimum-time orbit-to-orbit transfer trajectories is calculated by modeling the propulsion system performance characteristics on those of NASA’s Evolutionary Xenon Thruster-Commercial (NEXT-C). In particular, the actual NEXT-C ion engine throttle table is used to calculate the optimal thrust control law that ensures the flight time is minimized for an assigned value for the spacecraft’s initial mass and the reference (electric) power at the beginning of the transfer. A baseline scenario that considers the actual inertial characteristics of the NASA’s DART spacecraft is analyzed in detail, and a parametric study is proposed to evaluate the transfer performance as a function of the main design parameters as, for example, the spacecraft’s initial mass and the reference power. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Space Missions to Small Bodies: Results and Future Activities)
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13 pages, 4045 KiB  
Article
Pyroxene and Hydroxyl Signatures in Vesta Newly Calibrated Data from Dawn Mission
by Giuseppe Massa, Andrea Longobardo, Ernesto Palomba, Marianna Angrisani, Chiara Gisellu, Fabrizio Dirri, Maria Cristina De Sanctis, Andrea Raponi, Filippo Giacomo Carrozzo and Mauro Ciarniello
Universe 2023, 9(6), 296; https://doi.org/10.3390/universe9060296 - 19 Jun 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1365
Abstract
Thanks to the VIR spectrometer onboard NASA’s Dawn spacecraft, which orbited Vesta in 2011–2012, thousands of hyperspectral images of its surface have been collected. The mission confirmed the HED (Howardite–Eucrite–Diogenite) meteorite composition of Vesta. Moreover, the VIR spectrometer detected the 2.8 µm absorption [...] Read more.
Thanks to the VIR spectrometer onboard NASA’s Dawn spacecraft, which orbited Vesta in 2011–2012, thousands of hyperspectral images of its surface have been collected. The mission confirmed the HED (Howardite–Eucrite–Diogenite) meteorite composition of Vesta. Moreover, the VIR spectrometer detected the 2.8 µm absorption band, due to the presence of the OH molecule. In this work, we took advantage of the newly calibrated data of the VIR spectrometer by characterizing new spectral features thanks to the improved signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio for these spectra. The main goals of this work are as follows: (1) to characterize Vesta’s surface in the visible range and (2) to confirm, reinforce and characterize the OH distribution on Vesta by studying the 2.8 µm band and looking for OH combination bands around 2.2–2.4 µm. A possible relation between the 1.9 µm absorption band due to the presence of pyroxenes and the one at 0.5 µm was analyzed. Finally, the analysis of hydroxyl absorption bands evidenced an anti-correlation between the abundance of hydroxyl-bearing molecules and the surface reflectance. This confirms that the hydroxyl presence is linked to the dark units on Vesta. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Space Missions to Small Bodies: Results and Future Activities)
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17 pages, 1510 KiB  
Article
Solar Sail Trajectories to Earth’s Trojan Asteroids
by Alessandro A. Quarta and Giovanni Mengali
Universe 2023, 9(4), 186; https://doi.org/10.3390/universe9040186 - 14 Apr 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1543
Abstract
The recent discovery of Earth’s second Trojan asteroid (2020 XL5), which will remain in the vicinity of the Sun–[Earth+Moon] triangular Lagrangian point L4 for at least 4000 years, has attracted the attention of the scientific community as a remarkable example [...] Read more.
The recent discovery of Earth’s second Trojan asteroid (2020 XL5), which will remain in the vicinity of the Sun–[Earth+Moon] triangular Lagrangian point L4 for at least 4000 years, has attracted the attention of the scientific community as a remarkable example of those elusive objects that are the witnesses of the first phase of our Solar System. The possibility that an Earth’s Trojan asteroid (ETa) may represent a pristine record of the initial conditions of the Solar System formation makes these small objects an interesting target for a robotic exploration mission. This paper analyzes orbit-to-orbit Earth–ETa transfer trajectories of an interplanetary spacecraft propelled by a solar sail. In the last decade, some pioneering space missions have confirmed the feasibility and potentiality of the solar sail concept as a propellantless propulsion system able to convert the solar radiation pressure in a continuous thrust by means of a large, lightweight and highly reflective surface. Using the state-of-the-art level of solar sail technology, this paper studies the performance of a solar-sail-based transfer trajectory toward an ETa from an optimal viewpoint and with a parametric approach. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Space Missions to Small Bodies: Results and Future Activities)
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Review

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15 pages, 4056 KiB  
Review
The Formation of a Rubble Pile Asteroid: Insights from the Asteroid Ryugu
by Tsutomu Ota, Christian Potiszil, Katsura Kobayashi, Ryoji Tanaka, Hiroshi Kitagawa, Tak Kunihiro, Chie Sakaguchi, Masahiro Yamanaka and Eizo Nakamura
Universe 2023, 9(6), 293; https://doi.org/10.3390/universe9060293 - 16 Jun 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1933
Abstract
The Hayabusa2 mission returned primitive samples from the C-type asteroid Ryugu to Earth. The C-type asteroids hold clues to the origin of Earth’s water and the building blocks of life. The rubble pile structure of C-type asteroids is a crucial physical feature relating [...] Read more.
The Hayabusa2 mission returned primitive samples from the C-type asteroid Ryugu to Earth. The C-type asteroids hold clues to the origin of Earth’s water and the building blocks of life. The rubble pile structure of C-type asteroids is a crucial physical feature relating to their origin and evolution. A rubble pile asteroid is hypothesized to be bound primarily by self-gravity with a significant void space among irregularly shaped materials after catastrophic impacts between larger asteroids. However, the geological observations from Hayabusa2 and the analyses of the returned sample from Ryugu revealed that the high microporosity was common to various >10 m- to mm-sized materials of Ryugu, which suggests that the asteroid Ryugu is not just a loosely bound agglomeration of massive rocky debris from shattered asteroids. For a better understanding of the origin and evolution of the rubble pile asteroid, the current most accepted hypothesis should be verified by observations and laboratory analyses and improved upon based on this information. Here, the previous models are examined using Hayabusa2’s geological observations of the asteroid and the analytical data from the samples returned from Ryugu’s surface and subsurface material. Incorporating the new findings, a hypothesis for the evolution of the rubble pile asteroid Ryugu from a cometary nucleus through sublimation and subsequent dynamic resurfacing is proposed. The proposed hypothesis is applicable to other rubble-pile asteroids and would provide perspectives for near-Earth objects in general. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Space Missions to Small Bodies: Results and Future Activities)
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