A hypothetical view of the Trailblazer landing on Mars. (NASA)
The space industry in 2020 saw a number of events worth keeping in the memory, including the private space company SpaceX sending astronauts to the International Space Station for the first Time, the discovery of more water on the surface of the moon, and the discovery of phosphine molecules in the atmosphere of Venus. The arrival of a new year means new hope, and there are several space events to look forward to this year.
NASA’s Q-PACE space laboratory
Square satellite measuring 10 x 10 x 30 cm. (NASA)
This three-year project uses a small, square satellite placed over Earth’s near orbit to study how small particles collide with each other to combine into large particles in a microgravity environment. Originally scheduled to launch late last year, the project has been delayed until Jan. 15 from the Mojave Air and Space Port in California.
Q-PACE is short for Square Satellite Particle Aggregation and Collision Experiment (CubeSat Particle Aggregation and Collision Experiment). The satellite is only 10x10x30 cm in size and contains particles of all sizes, densities, materials and shapes, from micron-sized silicate dust to centimeter-sized quartz sphere particles.
Upon arrival in orbit over the Earth, the box will be vibrated with different speeds and in separate patterns along the three directions of space, allowing the particles inside the box to hit each other. The impact of the particles will be filmed at 90 frames per second using the camera under the illumination of the lights inside the box.
Trailblazer will reach Mars
A hypothetical view of the Trailblazer landing on Mars. (NASA)
A new chapter in the study of human exploration of Mars will open in 2021. The Perseverance rover, which departed from Earth in the middle of last year, will land on Mars on Feb. 18 of this year. By then the spacecraft will have to slow down from 12,000 miles per hour to a complete stop in 420 seconds.
The project is scheduled to progress for 687 Earth days, the equivalent of a year on Mars. Perseverance is designed primarily to explore Mars in ancient times, whether there is an environment that supports the survival of microorganisms, and of course more hope to find traces of ancient Life on Mars.
In addition to local testing, some of the samples collected will be sent back to Earth by another spacecraft. This will be the first time in history that humans have collected material from another planet to Earth.
In addition, a helicopter is on board the Trailblazer, which will then fly on Mars to explore the planet. It is the first human-made vehicle to be used on an exoplanet. Considering that the atmospheric concentration on Mars is only about 1 percent of that on Earth, designers are eagerly waiting to see how it flies in the Martian environment.
The mission will also help NASA study how to use the high carbon dioxide concentration of the atmosphere on Mars to generate oxygen technology, laying the groundwork for future astronauts to land on Mars.
Large Hadron Collider restart
A diagram of the Large Hadron Collider. (CERN)
The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at the European Nuclear Research Agency (CERN), which has been shut down for maintenance since December 10, 2018, will start up again this March in preparation for the third round of the Large Observation Experiment program in 2022. it will be shut down again in 2025 for maintenance and upgrades, and in 2027 for the fourth round of experiments.
The LHC is the largest high-energy particle experimental facility on Earth, and a great deal of astronomical research depends on its experimental data.
“Total lunar eclipse of the “Flower Moon
May is the month when flowers bloom in the northern hemisphere, so the full moon in May is also known as the “Flower Moon”. This year, a total lunar eclipse will take place during the Flower Moon.
June 10 annular lunar eclipse
Less than a month later, on June 10, the Northern Hemisphere will also see an annular lunar eclipse. Russia, Canada and Greenland (Greenland) are the best areas to observe. However, there will be plenty of online live streaming resources available for viewers everywhere to enjoy.
Rerouting the Asteroid Project
On July 22, NASA will launch the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) project, in which a spacecraft is launched to impact an asteroid to divert it.
The chosen target is Didymos, the Greek word for “twin”. Didymos’ orbit has no intersection with Earth’s orbit and poses no threat to the planet. The DART program targets small planets in this system.
NASA estimates that if successful, the orbit of a small planet would change by half a centimeter per second. While seemingly small, NASA says the effect on its orbital period over time is significant.
Lucy probe sets sail Oct. 16
A hypothetical map of the Lucy probe’s visit to the asteroid. (NASA)
Lucy is one of NASA’s largest upcoming exploration projects, visiting eight asteroids over the next decade, including the Trojan Cluster (Trojans), which will be visited for the first time around Jupiter’s orbit.
The Trojan group is a cluster of two asteroids that orbit the Sun with Jupiter 60 degrees in front and behind its orbit. The first astronomers to discover them named them after the characters of the Trojan War in the Iliad, so the asteroids are collectively called “Trojan asteroids.
NASA believes that this asteroid population contains important clues to the early formation of the solar system.
Parker Solar Probe Flyby Venus
A hypothetical flyby of Venus by the Parker Solar Probe. (NASA)
The Parker Solar Probe, launched in 2018, will complete its fourth and fifth flybys of Venus in February and October, respectively, in preparation for reaching its closest point to the Sun in 2025.
Interestingly, most of the flybys one hears about are designed to speed up and save fuel by borrowing power from celestial bodies. But these two flybys of the Parker probe are designed to slow it down to reach an orbit close to the Sun. By design, the probe will fly by Venus seven times during its seven-year journey.
James Webb telescope lifts off Oct. 31
The James Webb Space Telescope (James Webb), which has been planned and built for years at a cost of nearly $9 billion, will be launched on Oct. 31 this year. It is the successor to the famous Hubble telescope, the goal of observing the earliest group of galaxies and stars born in the universe.
Scientists have found a strange group of stars from the early days of the universe that contain no metallic elements at all, and it appears that metallic elements were gradually synthesized during the subsequent evolution of the stars. These galaxies are more than 10 billion light years away from Earth, and the James Webb Telescope is the only spacecraft of the new generation capable of exploring the signals of the universe long ago.
Lunar Moisture Map Mapping Project
LunaH-Map probes the water-bearing regions of the Moon. (Arizona State University)
Previously, scientists only speculated that crystalline water existed at the lunar poles, at the base of impact craters that are not exposed to sunlight for years. But in 2020, scientists found traces of water molecules on the moon’s surface where sunlight can reach.
This year, the LunaH-Map project will carefully explore the water-bearing areas of the Moon, hoping to map the distribution of water on the lunar surface. The project will launch a probe the size of a shoe box in low orbit around the Moon, using a new neutron spectrometer to pinpoint where the water is located.
This probe is expected to lift off no later than November.
Total Solar Eclipse of Antarctica on December 4
Antarctica will see its only total solar eclipse of the year on Dec. 4, when the moon completely blots out the sun. The next total solar eclipse will be in 2023 and will only be visible from parts of Southeast Asia and Australia. The total solar eclipse that can be seen in the United States will be in 2024.
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