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Full Version: Could we intercept interstellar comet C/2019 Q4 Borisov? (spacecraft design)
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(update) RELATED: How Does the New Interstellar Object Differ From 'Oumuamua?

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Could we intercept interstellar comet C/2019 Q4 Borisov?
https://www.universetoday.com/143399/cou...4-borisov/

EXCERPT: When ‘Oumuamua passed through our Solar System two years ago, it set off a flurry of excitement in the astronomical community. Here was the first-ever interstellar object that be observed by human trackers, and the mysteries surrounding its true nature and composition led to some pretty interesting theories. There were even some proposals for a rapid mission that would be able to rendezvous with it.

And now that a second interstellar object – C/2019 Q4 (Borisov) – has been detected traveling through the Solar System, similar proposals are being made. One of them comes from a group of scientists from the Initiative for Interstellar Studies (i4is) in the UK. In a recent study, they assess the technical feasibility of sending a mission to this interstellar comet using existing technology, and found that there were a few options!

In many ways, C/2019 Q4 (Borisov) represents an opportunity to conduct the kinds of research that were not possible with ‘Oumuamua. When that mystery object was first observed, it had already made its closest pass to the Sun, past Earth, and was on its way out of the Solar System. Nevertheless, what we were able to learn about ‘Oumuamua led to the conclusion that it was an entirely new class of celestial object.

[...] For these reasons, a mission that could study such objects up close is very desirable. As Dr. Andreas M. Hein ... told ... 

[...] “Investigating interstellar objects from a close distance would provide us with unique data about other star systems without actually flying to them. They might provide unique insights into the evolution and composition of other star systems and exoplanets in them. Interstellar objects are cool as it’s a bit like: If you can’t go to the mountain, let the mountain come to you. It will likely take many decades until we can send a spacecraft to another star. Hence, interstellar objects might be an intermediate solution for finding out more about other stars and their planets.”

What’s more, he claims, these objects have probably been travelling between star system for hundreds of thousands (or even millions) of years. As a result, they undoubtedly picked up material along the way or bear the marks of encounters with other objects or forces. In short, their composition and surface features can tell us a great deal about what is out there in the interstellar medium.

[...] This mission would rely on a heavy-launch vehicle and could alternately employ a 2 ton (1.8 metric ton) or a 3 kg (6.6 lbs) CubeSat spacecraft. Depending on when it launched and what its preferred trajectory would be, it might also need to conduct a Jupiter flyby and Solar Oberth maneuver to catch up with C/2019 Q4 (Borisov). As Dr. Hein explained:

“Our results show that for both, ‘Oumuamua and C/2019 Q4 (Borisov), we already have the technology to visit these objects. Regarding ‘Oumuamua, we can launch a spacecraft towards it even beyond the year 2030. There is plenty of time to develop such a spacecraft. The case for C/2019 Q4 (Borisov) is a bit more tricky, as it is faster than ‘Oumuamua. But even for this object, we could have sent a two-ton spacecraft to it with a Falcon Heavy, if we would have launched it in 2018. Later missions are also possible, but require a bigger launcher. Future telescopes will be able to detect such objects much earlier and with adequate preparation, we can send a spacecraft on an encounter mission. So we have the technology to do this and with the discovery of C/2019 Q4 (Borisov), we also know that we probably have plenty of opportunities to fly to such an object.”

[...] As for what this research could reveal, Dr. Hein has some thoughts on that too: “I can only speculate but we might see evidence that organic molecules, the building blocks for life, actually travel between star systems and who knows, maybe life itself might actually spread between stars in our galaxy.” (MORE - details)