{"id":122607,"date":"2018-09-14T06:47:39","date_gmt":"2018-09-14T04:47:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/why-nasa-chose-senegal-to-find-out-more-about-an-asteroid-in-outerspace-the-conversation\/"},"modified":"2018-09-14T06:47:39","modified_gmt":"2018-09-14T04:47:39","slug":"why-nasa-chose-senegal-to-find-out-more-about-an-asteroid-in-outerspace-the-conversation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/why-nasa-chose-senegal-to-find-out-more-about-an-asteroid-in-outerspace-the-conversation\/","title":{"rendered":"Why NASA chose Senegal to find out more about an asteroid in outerspace | The Conversation"},"content":{"rendered":"

Why NASA chose Senegal to find out more about an asteroid in outerspace<\/a>: <\/p>\n

A telescope pointed at the skies above Senegal to capture the stellar occultation.<\/span> To be confirmedFran\u00e7ois Colas, Observatoire de Paris, Insititut de M\u00e9canique Celeste et de Calcul des Eph\u00e9m\u00e9rides<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Dozens of scientists from NASA and France, along with five tons of astronomical equipment descended on Dakar, Senegal in August 2018. They joined 21 Senegalese scientists in an important mission: collecting precious data in preparation for the flyby of an asteroid called Ultima Thule on January 2019. The project marked the first time Senegal was involved in a space mission to explore our solar system. Natasha Joseph from the Conversation Africa asked the chairman of the African Initiative for Planetary and Space Sciences, David Baratoux, about the mission.<\/em><\/p>\n

What was the purpose of the mission to Senegal?<\/strong><\/p>\n

NASA\u2019s New Horizon spacecraft has become famous for revealing Pluto\u2019s amazing icy landscapes to the world. Now it\u2019s pursuing its journey to the edge of the solar system \u2013 and to Ultima Thule, an asteroid from the Kuiber Belt Object (that\u2019s a small chunk of rock or dirty ice which orbits the sun). This will be the most distant object ever explored by a man-made spacecraft. <\/p>\n

It orbits around the sun and is an unknown world. So was Pluto, before New Horizon\u2019s flyby.<\/p>\n

Preparing a flyby requires precise knowledge about the size and shape of this object. However, Ultima Thule is usually not visible using ground-based telescopes; it is too far away and too small. <\/p>\n

Figuring out how far New Horizons must travel to reach Ultima Thule has been one of the big challenges. This is where something a phenomenon called stellar occultations \u2013 and Senegal \u2013 came in.<\/p>\n

A stellar occultation involves an asteroid and a star: the light from a star is blocked by the asteroid from reaching an observer. They\u2019re similar to a solar eclipse. It\u2019s generally a very short event. When Ultima Thul\u00e9 is involved, it only lasts around a second.<\/p>\n

Ultima Thule has already been involved in one stellar occultation, captured in 2017 from sites in Patagonia. That event helped NASA to calculate the trajectory New Horizons must follow to reach the asteroid. <\/p>\n

New Horizons scientists predicted a new stellar occultation for August 2018, which would be visible in Colombia, Senegal, Mali, and Algeria. <\/p>\n

So why was Senegal chosen?<\/strong><\/p>\n

A few factors were taken into consideration. These included security conditions, climatic conditions at that time of year, the existence of potential scientific partners, and what facilities were available. <\/p>\n

Senegal has made great strides in astronomy and planetary sciences in recent years. That\u2019s been largely driven by the Senegalese Association for the Promotion of Astronomy, led by Maram Kaire. Some Senegalese researchers are also involved in the African Initiative for Planetary and Space Sciences, which I head up.<\/p>\n

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Scientists at work in Senegal.<\/span> Jean-Luc Dauvergne, Journaliste at Ciel et Espace<\/span><\/span> <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

And so, NASA focused its efforts in Senegal. It sent 21 teams to the country, and six to Columbia, which had less favourable climatic conditions. One team, composed of Algerian astronomers from the Centre de Recherche en Astrophysique et G\u00e9ophysique, also attempted to observe the occultation in the south of Algeria.<\/p>\n

So was the mission a success?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Three nights were dedicated to preparation and training. The 21 teams in Senegal were composed of Senegalese, French and US scientists. Participants were selected based on experience, their ability to work in a team, and how quickly they could pick up skills.<\/p>\n