NATS1570M Exploring the Solar System W2023

Major Project Submission Template

SECTION A: ACADEMIC HONESTY STATEMENT

By typing my name in the space provided, I am indicating that I fully understand all of the
requirements for this assignment, as described in the Major Project Instructions. I am further
confirming that my assignment is in my own words without any plagiarized text nor quoting
from other sources. I am further confirming that I have completed the "SPARK Academic
Integrity - Tutorial.”

Signature: Presley Aisowieren

Note: Your assignment will not be marked unless you have signed the academic
honesty statement above.

SECTION B: EXPLAIN the Research (max 400-450 words each):

This research discusses how NASA's Lucy mission team reported the finding of a tiny
moon circling the asteroid Polymele. Polymele (also known as 3908 Polymele) is a minor
asteroid in our solar system orbiting the Sun in the main asteroid belt between Mars and
Jupiter. The Lucy probe, which is also on a mission to examine several asteroids in the outer
Solar System, made the finding of this Polymele during a flyby of the asteroid in August 2021.
Polymele is a tiny planet, having a diameter of around 21 kilometers (13 miles). It has a black,
carbonaceous surface that reflects just around 5% of the sun's rays. Experts say it's formed
from a combination of rock and ice. The Lucy mission crew, led by Harold Levison of the
Southwest Research Institute in Boulder, Colorado, conducted the study. The data collected by
the spacecraft's cameras and other scientific equipment during the flyby, as well as data
retrieved by The Hubble Space Telescope, were used to identify the moon. The Lucy team saw
Polymele and its environs using Hubble's Wide Field Camera 3. The observations were made
in January and February of 2021 when Polymele could be seen from Hubble's perspective.
After scrutinizing the photographs, the crew was able to locate a small object orbiting Polymele.
Scientists then used algorithms to track the object's movement over time, concluding that it
was, indeed, the moon. The moon orbits Polymele at a distance of around 280 miles, with an
estimated diameter of 3,000 feet. The finding of a moon orbiting Polymele is noteworthy since it
reveals key details about the asteroid's origin and history. The moon was most likely formed by
a collision with Polymele and another asteroid belt member, which blasted debris into space.
Part of the debris then merged to form the moon, which has since orbited Polymele. Scientists
can learn more about Polymele's composition and structure, as well as the circumstances that
prevailed in the asteroid belt when the moon originated, by examining the moon's orbit and
features. This data can help academics better understand the processes that shape our solar
system and the objects inside it. This finding also allows scientists to investigate the moon's
composition and physical features, which may give light on the circumstances and processes
that existed in the early Solar System. According to the finding, the moon originated when
another asteroid collided with Polymele, which is a frequent mechanism for moons to develop
around asteroids. This is something that should be common information while studying the solar
system and has been taught in lectures.

SECTION C: GENERAL Context (500-550 words):

During a flyby of the asteroid Polymele by NASA's Lucy spacecraft, the Lucy team
detected a moon circling it. The find is noteworthy because it sheds fresh light on the genesis
and development of asteroids and their moons. A moon is a natural satellite that circles a
bigger astronomical body, such as a planet or an asteroid. Moons can be tiny, stony entities or
massive, gas giants like Jupiter's moons. They originate in several ways, including the capture
of tiny bodies by the gravity of a bigger object or the fragmentation of a larger item as a result
of a collision. Additionally, asteroids are tiny, stony rocks that circle the Sun and are most
commonly seen in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. These are early Solar System
leftovers, and their composition varies widely depending on their location and history. Some
asteroids are assumed to be planetesimals that never developed into planets, while others are
supposed to be the leftovers of planetesimals that never formed into planets. Polymele is an
asteroid discovered by German astronomer Hermann Goldschmidt in 1854. It is located in the
outer asteroid belt, between Mars and Jupiter, and has a diameter of around 21 miles (34
kilometers). Polymele's surface is most likely coated with debris, which is a coating of loose,
fractured rock and dust found on asteroids. Seasons exist on Polymele because its orbit
around the Sun is inclined at an angle of around 14 degrees concerning the plane of the Solar
System, which is similar to Earth's orbit. Its northern hemisphere experiences summer when
turned towards the Sun and winter when tilted away from the Sun. Polymele rotates at a rate of
around 3.6 hours each day, which is rather rapid when compared to other asteroids. This rapid
rotation is supposed to be the result of an asteroid collision in the past, which caused it to spin
faster. Along with this mission, several other missions have discovered a moon around
Polymele.

The Japanese Hayabusa2 project, directed by the Japanese Aerospace Exploration

Agency (JAXA), is a space exploration mission to investigate and gather samples. The
samples revealed important details regarding the composition of asteroids and their possible
significance in the genesis of life on Earth. Further scientific findings from Hayabusa2's trip to
Polymele include the first direct determination of the asteroid's density, which is greater than
previously thought. The mission also retrieved samples from the asteroid's surface with its
Sample Return Capsule (SRC), which will return to Earth in December 2020. These samples
are intended to shed light on the asteroid's composition and history, as well as the early solar
system.

Another project that is comparable to this one is currently designated as S/2019 (5361)
1, it is roughly 180 meters in diameter and circles Polymele at a distance of 680 kilometres.
The discovery of S/2019 (5361) 1 is noteworthy because it sheds light on how asteroids arise
and evolve. The formation of asteroid moons is unknown, but the finding of a moon around
Polymele shows that these objects developed by collisions with other asteroids or through
gravitational interactions with insignificant details.

SECTION D: JUSTIFICATION of research (200-250 words):

Polymele's work is noteworthy for a variety of reasons that go beyond the scholarly
community. Asteroids pose a risk to our world, as it has been observed that large asteroid
impacts in the past have resulted in extinctions on Earth. We can better comprehend the
hazards presented by asteroids and devise measures to prevent possible damage from an
impact by researching them and their attributes. This understanding can help us defend our
planet and species against asteroid strikes in the future. We may learn more about the
circumstances that prevailed in the early phases of the solar system, as well as how the planets
originated and developed through time, by examining asteroids. This knowledge has
far-reaching consequences for our understanding of life's origins and the possibility of life
elsewhere in the universe. Second, asteroids are remains of our solar system's early phases,
and their study gives insights into the solar system's origin and evolution. Asteroid research can
help in space exploration and resource usage. We can better understand how to collect and
exploit asteroids by understanding their composition and characteristics, which might have
significant economic and technical benefits for civilization. Lastly, studying asteroids may be
both educational and uplifting. We can inspire the next generation of scientists and explorers by
funding research in these areas, as well as cultivating a culture of inquiry and creativity.

We should fund this study as taxpayers since it has the potential to benefit mankind both
now and in the future. We should fund this study as taxpayers since it has the potential to
benefit mankind both now and in the future.

SECTION E: WORKS CITED:

Section B:

Hubble Discovers Moon Orbiting the Dwarf Planet Makemake:

https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2016/hubble-discovers-moon-orbiting-the-dwarf-planet-m
akemake

NASA's OSIRIS-REx Spacecraft Nears Target Asteroid:

https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/osiris-rex/in-depth/

NASA’s Lucy Team Discovers Moon Around Asteroid Polymele:

https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2022/nasa-s-lucy-team-discovers-moon-around-asteroid-
polymele

Section C:

"Hygiea: ESA and JAXA Announce Joint Asteroid Mission." European Space Agency, 2019,
https://www.esa.int/About_Us/Corporate_news/ESA_and_JAXA_meet_online_to_agree_future_
cooperation