cross-posted from: https://lemmy.zip/post/45614563
cross-posted from: https://hexbear.net/post/5763205
One is attached to the International Space Station, and the other is collecting data as a stand-alone satellite. The latter would meet its permanent demise after burning up in the atmosphere if the mission were to be terminated.
A 2023 review by NASA concluded that the data they’d been providing had been “of exceptionally high quality.”
The observatories provide detailed carbon dioxide measurements across various locations, allowing scientists to get a detailed glimpse of how human activity is affecting greenhouse gas emissions.
(Ex NASA employee) David Crisp said it “makes no economic sense to terminate NASA missions that are returning incredibly valuable data,” pointing out it costs only $15 million per year to maintain both observatories, a tiny fraction of the agency’s $25.4 billion budget.
This would be a flyby, rather than orbiting, as that would take a lot more propellant. I’d assume they might use gravitational assist from Jupiter, but a more or less direct shot might be planned, not sure. 3I Atlas would be closest to Jupiter in early September, yes, coincidentally the same time Juno was expected to be deorbited. As far as achieving the velocity needed, there are some calculations yet to be done but apparently there could be enough propellant onboard to do it.
I heard about the intercept idea through The Angry Astronaut’s youtube but there was a Congresswoman and some professors pushing it too.
(Angry Astronaut’s recent video about an intercept mission) https://youtu.be/B6O7nuJcmpY