Planetology and solar system bodies

OSIRIS-REx (for Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security, Regolith Explorer) is a NASA space mission which aims to bring back to Earth at the end of 2023 samples of the carbonaceous near-Earth asteroid Bennu.
The probe was launched in September 2016 and arrived near Bennu in December 2018. Since then, it has been in orbit mapping the entire surface of the asteroid in order to choose the best place to collect samples. The collection at the Nightingale site was a success in autumn 2020.

Project Status:

Exploitation

Curiosity

The IAS supplied the RMI micro-camera for the ChemCam instrument to provide the context of the LASER shots of the LIBS instrument.

Contact : John Carter

Project Status:

Ended

Cassini/VIMS

Contacts : Jean-Pierre Bibring, Brigitte Gondet

Project Status:

Ended

Hayabusa Micromega

The objective of the Japanese mission Hayabusa-2 was to study and return a sample of a Class C asteroid, "Ryugu". These asteroids are the parent bodies of carbonaceous chondrites, primitive meteorites containing a large fraction of organic matter (up to a few percent). Their study allows us to better understand the planetary formation processes and more generally to have access to the first millions of years of the Solar System, or even before with the possible presence of pre-solar grains. Their composition, rich in organic matter, is also particularly interesting to study in order to better constrain the scenarios of formation and evolution of organic matter in the Solar System.

Project Status:

Ended

PTAL

PTAL is a H2020 project (2016-2021) consisting of preparing the analysis of in situ space missions (such as Rovers Perseverance, Curiosity, ExoMars) which have near-infrared, Raman, X-ray diffraction and LIBS spectroscopic instruments. The project consisted in observing several analogous samples of planetary surfaces with space or laboratory instruments in order to make a spectral database. This work was done in collaboration with the University of Oslo and the University of Valladolid. The data is accessible on the site https://ptal.eu/ and the associated publications on https://ptal.eu/publications

Contact : François Poulet

Project Status:

Ended

Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter

Contacts : John Carter, François Poulet

Project Status:

Ended

ROSETTA

The mission goal was originally set for a rendezvous with comet 46 P/Wirtanen. After postponement of the original launch a new target was set: comet 67 P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.

Project Status:

Ended

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Planetology and solar system bodies

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