• DOI:10.3847/1538-3881/aabd37
• Corpus ID: 73656586

The Feasibility and Benefits of In Situ Exploration of ‘Oumuamua-like Objects

@article{Seligman2018TheFA,
  title={The Feasibility and Benefits of In Situ Exploration of ‘Oumuamua-like Objects},
  author={Darryl Z. Seligman and Gregory Laughlin},
  journal={The Astronomical Journal},
  year={2018},
  volume={155},
  pages={217}
}

• Darryl Z. Seligman, G. Laughlin
• Published 19 March 2018
• Physics
• The Astronomical Journal

A rapid accumulation of observations and interpretation have followed in the wake of 1I `Oumuamua's passage through the inner Solar System. We briefly outline the consequences that this first detection of an interstellar asteroid implies for the planet-forming process, and we assess the near-term prospects for detecting and observing (both remotely and in situ) future Solar System visitors of this type. Drawing on detailed heat-transfer calculations that take both `Oumuamua's unusual shape and its chaotic tumbling into account, we affirm that the lack of a detectable coma in deep images of the object very likely arises from the presence of a radiation-modified coating of high molecular weight material (rather than a refractory bulk composition). Assuming that `Oumuamua is a typical representative of a larger population with a kinematic distribution similar to Population I stars in the local galactic neighborhood, we calculate expected arrival rates, impact parameters and velocities of similar objects and assess their prospects for detection using operational and forthcoming facilities. Using `Oumuamua as a proof-of-concept, we assess the prospects for missions that intercept interstellar objects (ISOs) using conventional chemical propulsion. Using a "launch on detection" paradigm, we estimate wait times of order 10 years between favorable mission opportunities with the detection capabilities of the Large-Scale Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST), a figure that will be refined as the population of interstellar asteroids becomes observationally better constrained.