New Horizons: The First Reconnaissance Mission to Bodies in the Kuiper Belt

NASA has long been planning a mission of exploration to Pluto-Charon and the Kuiper Belt (e.g., Terrile et al., 1997). In 2001 NASA selected such a mission (NASA, 2001), called New Horizons, for design and development. New Horizons is now funded and planning a launch in January 2006. The mission plans to carry 8 scientific sensors and make flybys of Pluto-Charon and one or more KBOs. Statistical Monte Carlo simulations indicate that New Horizons has sufficient fuel to reach one or more KBOs with diameters exceeding 35 km. If launched as planned in 2006, the mission will use a Jovian gravity assist, arriving at Pluto-Charon in 2015 or 2016; if launched in its backup window in 2007, a Jovian gravity assist is not feasible and arrival will be later – 2019. Below we briefly summarize the New Horizons mission, concentrating on its role in Kuiper Belt exploration.     

Kuiper带天体的轨道动力学

主要评述太阳系动力学研究的一个新方向——Kuiper带的轨道动力学。早期的研究是为了探讨短周期彗星的起源。在发现第一颗Kuiper带小天体之后，人们开始将注意力转到Kuiper带共振区的相空间结构上，Morbidelli和Malhotra分别采用不同的模型研究了这些共振区的大小。其中主要研究对象是3:2共振区。冥王星也处在这一共振区中。从冥王星的轨道特性来看，冥王星应是一颗较大的Kuiper带天体，它还拥有另外两种共振——Kozai共振和1：1超级共振。正是由于这些共振的存在，冥王星的运动才得以长期保持稳定。观测表明许多Kuiper带天体也处的海王星的平运动共振中。早期的理论认为这些平运动共振起源于灾难性事件，如碰撞。然而这都是一些小概率事件，无法对共振的形成进行合理的解释。Malhotra通过行星迁移成功地解释了冥王星被共振俘获的机制。这一机制的概率非常大，同样可以用来解释Kuiper带天体共振的形成。     

两个可能存在大质量类冥王星的区域

1992年以来，在海王星外的太阳系发现了近千个小天体，称为Kuiper带天体(KBO)或Edgeworth—Kuiper带天体，其中有一部分偏心率和倾角较大的小天体与海王星之间存在3：2平运动共振，轨道特征类似冥王星，命名为类冥王星，自KBO发现以来，天文学家们进行了多次小天区的搜索，发现了几个质量较大的KBO，通过数值计算，在轨道参数空间发现了两个和冥王星一样同时具有3种共振的区域，在这两个区域里的小天体既避免了海王星的强摄动又不会与冥王星密切交会，轨道非常稳定，因此有可能在其中发现质量较大的类冥王星。     

Research of Small Kuiper Belt Objects by Stellar Occultations

Fast photometric observations of target stars in the ecliptic are a powerful tool to detect small objects in the Kuiper Belt. The various parameters involved in such observations are described. Meter-sized telescopes are able to detect sub-kilometer KBO (Kuiper Belt Objects). A campaign of research of KBO by stellar occultations, organized at the Pic du Midi Observatory is presented. These observations bring the first constraint on the small end of the size distribution of the KBOs.     

Pluto: Dwarf planet 134340

In recent decades, investigations of Pluto with up-to-date astronomical instruments yielded results that have been generally confirmed by the New Horizons mission. In 2006, in Prague, the General Assembly of the International Astronomical Union (IAU) reclassified Pluto as a member of the dwarf planet category according to the criteria defined by the IAU for the term “planet”. At the same time, interest in studies of Pluto was increasing, while the space investigations of Pluto were delayed. In 2006, the New Horizons Pluto spacecraft started its journey to Pluto. On July 14, 2015, the spacecraft, being in fly-by mode, made its closest approach to Pluto. The heterogeneities and properties of the surface and rarified atmosphere were investigated thoroughly. Due to the extreme remoteness of the spacecraft and the energy limitations, it will take 18 months to transmit the whole data volume. Along with the preliminary results of the New Horizons Pluto mission, this paper reviews the basics on Pluto and its moons acquired from the ground-based observations and with the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). There are only a few meteorite craters on the surfaces of Pluto and Charon, which distinctly marks them apart from such satellites of the giant planets as Ganymede and Callisto. The explanation is that the surface of Pluto is young: its age is estimated at less than 100 Myr. Ice glaciers of apparently a nitrogen nature were found. Nitrogen is also the main component of the atmosphere of Pluto. The planet demonstrates the signs of strong geologic activity, though the energy sources of these processes are unknown.     

Pluto's Atmosphere And A Targeted-Occultation Search For Other Bound Kbo Atmospheres

Processes relevant to Pluto's atmosphere are discussed,and our current knowledge is summarized, including results of two stellar occultationsby Pluto that were observed in 2002. The question of whether other Kuiper belt objects (KBOs)may have bound atmospheres is considered, and observational indicators for KBO atmospheresare described. The definitive detection of a KBO atmosphere could be established withtargeted stellar-occultation observations. These data can also establish accurate diametersfor these objects and be used to detect possible nearby companions. Strategies for acquiringoccultation data with portable, airborne, and fixed telescopes are evaluated in terms of thenumber of KBO occultations per year that should be observable. For the sample of 29 currentlyknown KBOs with H ≤ 5.2, (radius ≤ 300 km for a geometricalbedo of 0.04), we expect about 4 events per year would yield good results for a (stationary) 6.5-m telescope. A network of portable0.36-m telescopes should be able to observe 6 events per year, and a 2.5-m airborne telescopewould have about 200 annual opportunities to observe KBO occultations.     

The Caltech Wide Area Sky Survey

The first phase of the Caltech Wide Area Sky Survey occurred from lateNovember 2001 through mid-April 2003. We present preliminary resultsfrom this survey which has detected 28 bright Kuiper Belt Objects(KBOs) and 4 Centaurs, 19 of which were discovered in our surveyincluding Quaoar, the largest KBO, as well as 6 of the 10intrinsically brightest KBOs. We have surveyed 5108 square degrees ofthe sky nearest the invariable plane to a limiting red magnitude of20.7. Correcting for the overabundance of objects near the invariableplane, this represents 27% completeness in terms of KBO numbers.Thus, approximately 100 KBOs and Centaurs brighter than m_R = 20.7exist, about 3/4 of which remain undiscovered. The bright KBOs areconsistent with the canonical q=4 size distribution, suggesting thatabout ten 1000 km diameter KBOs and about one 2000 km diameter KBOexist. Additionally, we observe only 3 KBOs with low inclination(i < 7 degrees) with 67% of the sky available to these objectssurveyed. This is in sharp contrast with the known KBOs, of whichabout 60% of the ～ 800 observed objects (as of May 2003) have i< 7 degrees. Although we observe at systematically higher invariableplane latitudes than many deeper KBO surveys, such systematic biasescannot fully explain the lack of low inclination objects, ameasurement which is significant at the > 3 σ level. Thissuggests that the bright KBOs have a fundamentally different maximumsize than the fainter KBOs. A better characterization of the surveylimiting magnitude and a more thorough modeling of observational biaseffects of different classes of KBOs will be made in a future work.     

Ejecta exchange and satellite color evolution in the Pluto system, with implications for KBOs and asteroids with satellites

In this Note, I present first-order scaling calculations to examine the efficacy of impacts by Kuiper Belt debris in causing regolith exchange between objects in the Pluto system. It is found that ejecta can escape Nix and Hydra with sufficient velocity to reach one another, as well as Charon, and even Pluto. The degree of ejecta exchanged between Nix and Hydra is sufficient to cover these bodies with much more material than is required for photometrically change. In specific, Nix and Hydra may have exchanged as up to 10s of meters of regolith, and may have covered Charon to depths up to 14 cm with their ejecta. Pluto is likely unaffected by most Nix and Hydra ejecta by virtue of a combination of dynamical shielding from Charon and Pluto's own annual atmospheric frost deposition cycle. As a result of ejecta exchange between Nix, Hydra, and Charon, these bodies are expected to evolve their colors, albedos, and other photometric properties to be self similar. These are testable predictions of this model, as is the prediction that Nix and Hydra will have diameters near 50 km, owing to having a Charon-like albedo induced by ejecta exchange. As I discuss, this ejecta exchange process can also be effective in many KBOs and asteroids with satellites, and may be the reason that very many KBO and asteroid satellite systems have like colors.     

Trojans’ Odyssey: Unveiling the early history of the Solar System

In our present understanding of the Solar System, small bodies (asteroids, Jupiter Trojans, comets and TNOs) are the most direct remnants of the original building blocks that formed the planets. Jupiter Trojan and Hilda asteroids are small primitive bodies located beyond the ‘snow line’, around respectively the L₄ and L₅ Lagrange points of Jupiter at ～5.2?AU (Trojans) and in the 2:3 mean-motion resonance with Jupiter near 3.9?AU (Hildas). They are at the crux of several outstanding and still conflicting issues regarding the formation and evolution of the Solar System. They hold the potential to unlock the answers to fundamental questions about planetary migration, the late heavy bombardment, the formation of the Jovian system, the origin and evolution of trans-neptunian objects, and the delivery of water and organics to the inner planets. The proposed Trojans’ Odyssey mission is envisioned as a reconnaissance, multiple flyby mission aimed at visiting several objects, typically five Trojans and one Hilda. It will attempt exploring both large and small objects and sampling those with any known differences in photometric properties. The orbital strategy consists in a direct trajectory to one of the Trojan swarms. By carefully choosing the aphelion of the orbit (typically 5.3?AU), the trajectory will offer a long arc in the swarm thus maximizing the number of flybys. Initial gravity assists from Venus and Earth will help reducing the cruise time as well as the ΔV needed for injection thus offering enough capacity to navigate among Trojans. This solution further opens the unique possibility to flyby a Hilda asteroid when leaving the Trojan swarm. During the cruise phase, a Main Belt Asteroid could be targeted if requiring a modest ΔV. The specific science objectives of the mission will be best achieved with a payload that will perform high-resolution panchromatic and multispectral imaging, thermal-infrared imaging/ radiometry, near- and mid-infrared spectroscopy, and radio science/mass determination. The total mass of the payload amounts to 50?kg (including margins). The spacecraft is in the class of Mars-Express or a down-scaled version of Jupiter Ganymede Orbiter. It will have a dry mass of 1200?kg, a total mass at launch of 3070?kg and a ΔV capability of 700?m/s (after having reached the first Trojan) and can be launched by a Soyuz rocket. The mission operations concept (ground segment) and science operations are typical of a planetary mission as successfully implemented by ESA during, for instance, the recent flybys of Main Belt asteroids Steins and Lutetia.     

On the detectability of lightcurves of Kuiper belt objects

We present a statistical study of the detectability of lightcurves of Kuiper belt objects (KBOs). Some Kuiper belt objects display lightcurves that appear “flat”; i.e., there are no significant brightness variations within the photometric uncertainties. Under the assumption that KBO lightcurves are mainly due to shape, the lack of brightness variations may be due to (1) the objects having very nearly spherical shapes or (2) their rotation axes coinciding with the line of sight. We investigate the relative importance of these two effects and relate it to the observed fraction of “flat” lightcurves. This study suggests that the fraction of KBOs with detectable brightness variations may provide clues about the shape distribution of these objects. Although the current database of rotational properties of KBOs is still insufficient to draw any statistically meaningful conclusions, we expect that, with a larger dataset, this method will provide a useful test for candidate KBO shape distributions.     

木星探测轨道分析与设计

研究了与木星探测相关的轨道设计问题.重点关注木星探测轨道与火星、金星等类地行星探测轨道的不同及由此带来的轨道设计难点.首先分析了绕木星探测任务轨道的选择.建立近似模型讨论了向木星飞行需要借助多颗行星的多次引力辅助,对地木转移的多种行星引力辅助序列,使用粒子群算法搜索了2020年至2025年之间的燃料最省飞行方案并对比得到了向木星飞行较好的引力辅助方式为金星-地球-地球引力辅助.结合多任务探测,研究了航天器在飞向木星途中穿越主小行星带飞越探测小行星的轨道设计.最后,给出2023年发射完整的结合引力辅助与小行星多次飞越的木星探测轨道设计算例.     

Simulations for the Original Distribution of KBOs

Using the N-body dynamical model that includes the sun, the 8 planets, Pluto, UB313 and massless particles, we simulate the orbital evolution of 551 Kuiper Belt Objects (KBOs) with known parameters. The initial conditions of the simulations are the currently observed orbital parameters. The integration backtracks from now to -10×10⁸ yr. The results show that about 10×10⁸ years ago, more than 1/3 of the presently observed KBOs resided in the region of the present Kuiper main belt, a few were located inside the Neptune orbit, and the rest were beyond 50AU; and that about 4.5×10⁸ years ago, all the objects in the Kuiper main belt exhibited a rather good normal distribution, without so many objects concentrated in the Neptune's 3:2 resonance region, as at present time.     

Photometric behavior of 20000 Varuna at very small solar phase angles

Six nights of R-band CCD observations of the classical Kuiper Belt Object (KBO) 20000 Varuna (2000 WR106) were obtained at the Palomar Mountain 60- and 200-in telescopes. The observations were scheduled to take advantage of a particularly favorable apparition which allowed us to sample down to extremely small solar phase angle (α=0.036°). After rotational lightcurve subtraction, we found that the KBO exhibited a strong opposition surge of ∼0.1 mag at phase angles α<0.1°. We modeled our composite solar phase curve of Varuna using both H-G parameterization and Hapke theory and concluded that similar opposition surges may be wide spread among KBOs and that the regolith of Varuna may be significantly more porous than a typical main-belt C-type asteroid. Wide-spread opposition surges lead to higher albedos than derived assuming linear phase behavior: on the whole KBOs may be brighter than previously assumed.     

Trajectory Analysis and Design for A Jupiter Exploration Mission

The trajectory design for a Jupiter exploration mission is investigated in this paper. The differences between the Jupiter exploration trajectory and the Mars or Venus exploration trajectory are mainly concerned about. Firstly, the selection of the Jupiter-centered orbit is analyzed based on the Galileo Jupiter mission. As for the Earth-Jupiter transfer orbit, the fuel consumption of the direct transfer is too large. So the energy-saving technologies such as the planetary gravity assist should be used for the trajectory to the Jupiter. The different sequences of planetary gravity assists are examined by applying the Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO). According to the searched result, the Venus-Earth-Earth sequence (VEEGA) is the most effective one for the Jupiter mission. During the Jupiter mission, the spacecraft will pass though the main asteroid belt between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, and may encounter multiple asteroids. Therefore the Jupiter mission is able to combine with the main-belt asteroid flyby mission. The design method of the intermediate asteroid flyby trajectory is also considered. At last, an entire trajectory for the Jupiter mission launched in 2023 is presented.     

On the Use of Meteor Camera Systems in the Detection of Kuiper Belt Objects Through Serendipitous Stellar Occultations

The direct detection of Kuiper Belt Objects (KBOs) by telescopic imaging is not currently practical for objects much less than 100 km in diameter. However, indirect methods such as serendipitous stellar occultations might still be employed to detect these bodies. The method of serendipitous stellar occultations has been previously used with some success in detecting KBOs—Roques et al. (Astron J 132(2):819–822, 2006) detected three Trans-Neptunian objects; Schlichting et al. (Nature 462(7275):895–897, 2009) and Schlichting et al. (Astrophys J 761:150, 2012) each detected a single object in archival Hubble Space Telescope data. However, previous assessments of KBO occultation detection rates have been calculated only for telescopes—we extend this method to video camera systems, and we apply this derivation to the automated meteor camera systems currently in use at the University of Western Ontario. We find that in a typical scenario we can expect one occultation per month. However recent studies such as those of Shankman et al. (Astrophys. J. Lett. 764. doi:10.1088/2041-8205/764/1/L2, 2013) and Gladman et al. (AAS/Division for Planetary Sciences Meeting Abstracts, 2012) which indicate that the population of small KBOs may be smaller than has been assumed in the past may result in a sharp reduction of these rates. Nonetheless, a survey for KBO occultations using existing meteor camera systems may provide valuable information about the number density of KBOs.     

TNOs are Cool: A Survey of the Transneptunian Region

Over one thousand objects have so far been discovered orbiting beyond Neptune. These trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs) represent the primitive remnants of the planetesimal disk from which the planets formed and are perhaps analogous to the unseen dust parent-bodies in debris disks observed around other main-sequence stars. The dynamical and physical properties of these bodies provide unique and important constraints on formation and evolution models of the Solar System. While the dynamical architecture in this region (also known as the Kuiper Belt) is becoming relatively clear, the physical properties of the objects are still largely unexplored. In particular, fundamental parameters such as size, albedo, density and thermal properties are difficult to measure. Measurements of thermal emission, which peaks at far-IR wavelengths, offer the best means available to determine the physical properties. While Spitzer has provided some results, notably revealing a large albedo diversity in this population, the increased sensitivity of Herschel and its superior wavelength coverage should permit profound advances in the field. Within our accepted project we propose to perform radiometric measurements of 139 objects, including 25 known multiple systems. When combined with measurements of the dust population beyond Neptune (e.g. from the New Horizons mission to Pluto), our results will provide a benchmark for understanding the Solar debris disk, and extra-solar ones as well.     

Shaping the Kuiper belt size distribution by shattering large but strengthless bodies

The observed size distribution of Kuiper belt objects (KBOs)—small icy and rocky Solar System bodies orbiting beyond Neptune—is well described by a power law at large KBO sizes. However, recent work by Bernstein et al. (2004, Astron. J. 128, 1364-1390) indicates that the size distribution breaks and becomes shallower for KBOs smaller than about 70 km in size. Here we show that we expect such a break at KBO radius ∼40 km since destructive collisions are frequent for smaller KBOs. Specifically, we assume that KBOs are gravity-dominated bodies with negligible material strength. This gives a power-law slope q?3 where the number N>r of KBOs larger than a size r is given by N>r∝r1−q; the break location follows from this slope through a self-consistent calculation. The existence of this break, the break's location, and the power-law slope we expect below the break are consistent with the findings of Bernstein et al. (2004, Astron. J. 128, 1364-1390). The agreement with observations indicates that KBOs as small as ∼40 km are effectively strengthless.     

Photometric Light Curve for the Kuiper Belt Object 2000 EB173 on 78 Nights

Kuiper belt objects (KBOs) are generally very faint and cannot in practice be monitored with a well-sampled long-term light curve; so our discovery of the bright KBO 2000 EB₁₇₃ offers an excellent opportunity for synoptic studies. We present a well-sampled photometric time series (77 R and 29 V magnitudes on 78 nights) over a 225-day time span centered on the 2001 opposition. The light curve (corrected to the year 2001 opposition distance) varies from 19.11 to 19.39 mag with a single peak that is smooth, time symmetric, and coincident with opposition. All variations in the light curve are consistent with a linear opposition surge (R_OPP=19.083+0.125∗α, where α is the solar phase angle), while any rotational modulation must have a peak-to-peak amplitude of less than 0.097 mag. This is the first measured opposition surge for any KBO (other than Pluto). The V−R color is 0.63±0.02, with no apparent variation with phase at the few percent level. With R=19.11 at opposition, 2000 EB₁₇₃ remains the brightest known KBO and a prime target for future photometric and spectroscopic studies.     

Near-Infrared Colors of the Binary Kuiper Belt Object 1998 WW 31

We have measured near-infrared colorsof the binary Kuiper Belt object (KBO)1998 WW₃₁ using the Subaru Telescope withadaptive optics. The satellite was detectednear its perigee and apogee(0.18“ and 1.2” apart from the primary).The primary and the satellite have similar H–Kcolors, while the satellite is redder thanthe primary in J–H. Combined with the Rband magnitude previously published byVeillet et al., 2002, the color of the primaryis consistent with that of optically red KBOs. Thesatellite's R-, J-, H-colors suggest thepresence of ～1 μm absorption band dueto rock-forming minerals. If the surface of thesatellite is mainly composed by olivine, thesatellite's albedo is higher value than the canonicallyassumed value of 4%.