
Can We Catch the Next ‘Oumuamua? - elorant
https://www.centauri-dreams.org/2019/06/20/can-we-catch-the-next-oumuamua/
======
alfiedotwtf
Going on fantasy here, but imagine if the Prime Directive were real and that
the Litmus Test for making First Contact was to do random random fly-bys at
high speeds... only qualifying civilizations would be able to detect the fly-
by, send a probe, and catch up to it.

------
jvanderbot
Yes. src: We did a study on this. But, this was fairly well known.

One problem is the enormous closing speed of probes relative to the object.

[http://kiss.caltech.edu/workshops/constellations/constellati...](http://kiss.caltech.edu/workshops/constellations/constellations.html)

------
excalibur
This is one of several projects planning to send equipment to L2. It's a good
staging point for a variety of missions. Looks to me like an ideal location
for a space station.

~~~
simcop2387
A permanent space station at the solar l2 point would need a massive amount of
I lnfrastructure to survive. We do t have any way of safely getting people
there, and we have to solve the radiation problem.

~~~
Robotbeat
Then Earth-Moon L2. And we are, in fact, building a space station there. We
have the rockets and capsules to get folks and equipment there. Or will within
two to 5 years.

~~~
avmich
The NASA plans to build the station in Earth-Moon L1, which is between Earth
and Moon, not in Earth-Moon L2, which is behind the Moon looking from the
Earth.

Earth-Moon L1 though would be a pretty good spot to park probes ready to
launch pursuing a comet though.

~~~
Robotbeat
Technically, the orbit baselined for NASA's Gateway is Near-rectilinear Halo
Orbit, which is a particular class of EML2 halo orbit that happens to loop
around the Moon... ...and it is chosen partially so Earth is never eclipsed
(unlike many other EML2 halo orbits). EML1 is no longer baselined.

~~~
avmich
Ah, thanks. Got to update to current state :) .

------
Swivekth18
I'm going to go out on a limb here and say No. Will we ever catch one? Maybe.
The only way we'll "catch" the next one is if it slams into the Earth.

------
marktangotango
I'd rather go and catch the previous one, we may never see another one. Could
a New Horizons class probe reach it?

~~~
isostatic
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Lyra](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Lyra)

------
ISL
The Ramans do everything in threes.

~~~
walrus01
especially singlemode fiber optical amplifiers

~~~
stringfood
The Ramans do singlemode fiber optical amplifiers in pairs; everything else in
threes.

------
hcarvalhoalves
On the topic:

What the heck was Oumuamua anyway? Do we have a good hypothesis for the
(apparent) low density / high velocity by now?

~~~
russdill
Next? It's still well within the orbit of Neptune and traveling about 30km/s.
We can still perform a flyby with existing technologies.

~~~
mdorazio
Had to look up some numbers to see if that's actually feasible and you're
right, but catching it would take a long time. If we used a New Horizons-type
straight launch at maximum velocity on a Falcon Heavy and a really light
probe, it might get there in something like 20 years, well beyond the orbit of
Pluto. If BFR was able to launch in 2021 and carry a fat booster-enabled
payload, it might be able to get to rendezvous faster. Some interesting charts
and explanations available at [1].

[1] [https://spectrum.ieee.org/tech-talk/aerospace/space-
flight/h...](https://spectrum.ieee.org/tech-talk/aerospace/space-flight/how-
we-could-explore-that-interstellar-asteroid)

~~~
russdill
The question is whether or not it will be more or less than 20 years until we
encounter another such object.

~~~
paulmd
The Ramans do everything in threes.

~~~
pjmorris
Great reference, thank you. I'd forgotten that trait, need to read the book
again.

