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Dynamical environments of MU69: a state of chaotic clearing

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 January 2020

José Lages  and
Ivan I. Shevchenko Open the ORCID record for Ivan I. Shevchenko [Opens in a new window]
José Lages
Affiliation:
Institut UTINAM, Observatoire des Sciences de l’Univers THETA, CNRS, Université de Bourgogne Franche-Comté, Besançon 25030, France email: [email protected]
Ivan I. Shevchenko
Affiliation:
Institute of Applied Astronomy, Russian Academy of Sciences, Saint Petersburg 191187, Russia email: [email protected]
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Abstract

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The second (after Pluto) plausible target object for the New Horizons mission is 2014 MU69. It is a classical TNO, a primordial contact binary. Identifying any material in the vicinities of a target object is of an especial concern for planning cosmic fly-byes, as it is hazardous for a space probe. Luckily, no such material has been reported for MU69 up to now. The point of our report is that this lucky absence is just a dynamical consequence of the physical nature of MU69. Spinning gravitating dumbbells create zones of dynamical chaos around them, and this has a clearing effect: any material put in orbits around a rotating dumbbell (e.g., any material ejected from its surface) cannot be long-lived in such zones; it either escapes into space, or returns to the parent body’s surface. As the orbiting matter is removed in this way, a spinning gravitating dumbbell clears its vicinities. We show that MU69 is able to create such a clearing, making itself a safe and hospitable target for a space mission. Therefore, the guest probe is expected to be safe on arrival.

Keywords

Celestial mechanicsminor planetsasteroidsKuiper Belt
Type
Contributed Papers
Information
Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union , Volume 14 , Symposium S345: Origins: From the Protosun to the First Steps of Life , August 2018 , pp. 227 - 229
Copyright
© International Astronomical Union 2020 

References

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