Summer means a Summer meeting of the Small Bodies Assessment Group (SBAG, www.lpi.usra.edu/sbag/). Now, my recap of Day 2.
(see Day 1)
– An update of DESTINY+, JAXA’s mission to rock comet (3200) Phaethon. Yes, a rock comet. Ground observations trying to refine our understanding, targeting. Unfortunately, Dr. Arai mentions that the follow-on (extended) mission (a flyby of the related object 2005 UD) is unlikely- the trajectory would mean a high solar phase (pointing the cameras ~at the Sun).
– The APOPHIS T-5 YEARS meeting happened, this time at Noordwijk, Netherlands. Lots of scientific findings honed from the previous observations, but the upshot is still LET’S GO SEE APOPHIS.
– New Horizons update: still looking for Kuiper Belt objects while the probe is in the (outer) Kuiper Belt. Still power, fuel, sunlight, etc. but not for long; will funds run out first? Lots of edu/outreach efforts.
– Dr. Greenstreet gave a Vera Rubin Observatory update. Not much new if you’ve been keeping up. Some details firming up on Targets of Opportunity policy- basically, “fast” response to unplanned objects.
– SsODNet is an online, searchable database of Solar System Objects- hence, SsO. If JPL and MPC aren’t already covering your Solar System Body needs, then try SsODNet. It will go down to non-detections.
– Roman Space Telescope update: nothing big; launch firming up (~May 2027), vs. a range of TBDs. Roman is, by fiat, a dark energy scope, but its relevance will be sifting through terabytes for asteroids and comets. Terabytes every night and day.
– JWST update: Lots of exoplanet submissions/approvals/work, let’s get more bids in for this Star System. MIRI degradation appears stable, now accounted for in exposure, proposal templates.
– Catalina Sky Survey update: tuning search parameters to find remaining NEOs. Tweaking depth vs. coverage, and better follow-up, by own follow-up telescope, and others.
– ZTF (Zwicky Transient Facility): until Vera Rubin is up, ZTF is the one- it’s even demo’ing VRO streams.
– Spacewatch update: not the one, but the first one. Spacewatch was the 1st digital NEO hunt, still going. Now officially a follow-up project, and also handing off to larger scopes- working with Bok telescope.
– Chilean occultation network: Rodrigo Leiva briefed us on Chile’s “fence” for occultations, which happens to be best at Trans-Neptunian Objects (TNOs). But Main belters/NEOs are always possible. May expand.
– SPHEREx is (after its coming launch) the ultimate spectral classifier machine- sweeping the whole sky, giving diagnostics. Favorable asteroids will be scanned repeatedly; ‘Oumuamua would have got caught.
– …and the recurring theme this meeting was Janus. We have a mission (two probes) designed and built, sitting in storage. Why is it sitting in storage? Many want it sent to Apophis, but possibilities range wide.
Until the Winter SBAG!