Episode 653: Catching Interstellar Objects. What If We Could Explore Oumuamua Or 2I/Borisov?

The distances to other stars are depressingly enormous. Sure, it’s incredibly far to get to Mars, Jupiter, and even Pluto, but at least you can design a robotic spacecraft to make the journey and see the science results in your own lifetime.

But in the case of other stars, interstellar flight times will take thousands and even tens of thousands of years to send just a robotic mission.

Fortunately, the Milky Way has got our back. Other star systems have been hurling comets and asteroids towards the Solar System. All we’ve got to do… is catch them.

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Team: Fraser Cain - @fcain / [email protected]

Karla Thompson - @karlaii / https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEItkORQYd4Wf0TpgYI_1fw

Chad Weber - [email protected]

References:

https://news.ucsc.edu/2020/04/oumuamua.html

https://public.nrao.edu/news/alma-reveals-unusual-composition-of-interstellar-comet-2i-borisov/

http://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/ESA_s_new_mission_to_intercept_a_comet

https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/spacetech/niac/2020_Phase_I_Phase_II/Dynamic_Orbital_Slingshot/

https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/factsheet/plutofact.html

https://arxiv.org/ftp/arxiv/papers/1711/1711.03155.pdf

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0SMNucXwgo

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