Mission Opportunities Research Articles

Ulysses spacecraft in situ detections of cometary dust trails.

The Ulysses spacecraft was launched in 1990 and, after a Jupiter swing-by in 1992, became the first interplanetary spacecraft orbiting the Sun on a highly inclined trajectory with an inclination of [Formula: see text]. The spacecraft was equipped with an impact ionization dust detector which provided 17 years of in situ dust measurements in interplanetary space from 1990 to 2007. Cometary meteoroid streams (also referred to as trails) exist along the orbits of comets, forming fine structures of the interplanetary dust cloud. We use the Interplanetary Meteoroid Environment for eXploration (IMEX) dust streams in space model (Soja RH et al. 2015 Characteristics of the dust trail of 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko: an application of the IMEX model. Astron. Astrophys. 583, A18. (doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201526184)) to predict cometary stream traverses by Ulysses and re-analyse the Ulysses dust dataset in order to identify impacts of cometary stream particles detected during such trail traverses. We identify 19 particles compatible with three Ulysses trail traverses on 12 March 1995, 25-27 April 2001 and 16-19 May 2001. The particle origin is compatible with up to five comets, i.e. 10P/Tempel 2, 146P/Shoemaker-LINEAR, 267P/LONEOS and possibly 45P/Honda-Mrkos-Pajdušáková and P/1999 RO28 (LONEOS). We find a dust spatial density in these trails of approximately [Formula: see text]. The radii of the detected cometary stream particles derived from the dust instrument calibration are in the micrometre range. The in situ analysis of meteoroid trail particles in space, which can be traced back to their source bodies, opens a new opportunity for remote compositional analysis of comets and asteroids without the necessity to send a spacecraft to or even land on these celestial bodies, opening new opportunities for future space missions equipped with in situ dust analyzers. This article is part of the theme issue 'Dust in the Solar System and beyond'.

What sweeter music: an examination of the development and popularity of carol services in cathedrals

ABSTRACT Carol services have always been among the most popular of cathedral offerings, including with those who have little or no regular church affiliation. Their high-quality music may make them attractive to the growing numbers of ‘spiritual but not religious’, in similar ways to choral evensong; the fact that they also tell the story of human salvation through the incarnation creates an opportunity for mission which is often underestimated. The success of carol services might even stimulate questions as to whether nostalgia and tradition, paradoxically, act as drivers for mission in cathedrals. A rethinking of Benedictine identity is key to many cathedrals’ exploration of their place in a post-Covid world of rapid change: the popularity of ‘traditional’ services in a cathedral setting is one indicator of how the search for Benedictine stabilitas might become a positive rather than a backwards-looking movement in a time of uncertainty.

Characterization of Regolith And Trace Economic Resources (CRATER): An Orbitrap-based laser desorption mass spectrometry instrument for in situ exploration of the Moon.

Characterization of Regolith And Trace Economic Resources (CRATER), an Orbitrap™-based laser desorption mass spectrometry instrument designed to conduct high-precision, spatially resolved analyses of planetary materials, is capable of answering outstanding science questions about the Moon's formation and the subsequent processes that have modified its (sub)surface. Here, we describe the baseline design of the CRATER flight model, which requires <20 000 cm3 volume, <10kg mass, and <60 W peak power. The analytical capabilities and performance metrics of a prototype that meets the full functionality of the flight model are demonstrated. The instrument comprises a high-power, solid-state, pulsed ultraviolet (213 nm) laser source to ablate the surface of the lunar sample, a custom ion optical interface to accelerate and collimate the ions produced at the ablation site, and an Orbitrap mass analyzer capable of discriminating competing isobars via ultrahigh mass resolution and high mass accuracy. The CRATER instrument can measure elemental and isotopic abundances and characterize the organic content of lunar surface samples, as well as identify economically valuable resources for future exploration. An engineering test unit of the flight model is currently in development to serve as a pathfinder for near-term mission opportunities.

KAJIAN TEOLOGIS TENTANG PENGINJILAN DALAM METAVERSE SERTA APLIKASINYA DI DUNIA VIRTUAL

Mission and evangelism is a command given by the Lord Jesus. He sent His disciples to make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and teaching them to do everything the Lord Jesus had taught them. Mission and Evangelism need to be done by every believer in this modern age. Since Mark Zuckerberg announced about the metaverse, many people have planned to join and take advantage of the opportunity to do business, and seek profit for their personal life. The church should be able to see the metaverse as an opportunity for mission and evangelism, not reject it. The purpose of this study is to explain why the metaverse is an ideal platform for doing missions and evangelism, along with ways to do mission and evangelism in the metaverse. The method used is descriptive qualitative with content analysis techniques. This research is library research. The results of this study indicate that the metaverse can bring a large number of souls to God by creating an attractive virtual environment and according to the times described in the Bible and every believer can carry out missions and evangelism with the principles of experts. The conclusion of this study is that the metaverse can be used by every believer to carry out missions and evangelism, therefore, the church should not be anti-technology, but the church must use the technology, for the glory of God.

EUSO-SPB1 mission and science

The Extreme Universe Space Observatory on a Super Pressure Balloon 1 (EUSO-SPB1) was launched in 2017 April from Wanaka, New Zealand. The plan of this mission of opportunity on a NASA super pressure balloon test flight was to circle the southern hemisphere. The primary scientific goal was to make the first observations of ultra-high-energy cosmic-ray extensive air showers (EASs) by looking down on the atmosphere with an ultraviolet (UV) fluorescence telescope from suborbital altitude (33 km). After 12 days and 4 h aloft, the flight was terminated prematurely in the Pacific Ocean. Before the flight, the instrument was tested extensively in the West Desert of Utah, USA, with UV point sources and lasers. The test results indicated that the instrument had sensitivity to EASs of ⪆3 EeV. Simulations of the telescope system, telescope on time, and realized flight trajectory predicted an observation of about 1 event assuming clear sky conditions. The effects of high clouds were estimated to reduce this value by approximately a factor of 2. A manual search and a machine-learning-based search did not find any EAS signals in these data. Here we review the EUSO-SPB1 instrument and flight and the EAS search.

A nanolander for a space mission to an active asteroid in the main belt

A nanolander (CALICUT) with a total mass of about 10 kg was proposed in response to the CNSA (China National Space Administration) Announcement of Opportunity (AO) for an Asteroid Exploration Mission (AEM) by a joint European-Chinese team to operate on an active asteroid in the main belt. CALICUT is a further development of the MASCOT lander that flew on the Hayabusa2 mission to asteroid Ryugu. The nanolander was designed with mobility and autonomy capabilities. It will be able to operate for at least 6 weeks to measure the physical, morphological and compositional properties of the target. The data can be used to derive answers to scientific questions, such as what drives activity on active asteroids, and identify similarities and differences between inactive asteroids and classical comets. CALICUT carries a payload of four scientific instruments with a total mass of about 2 kg to provide unique measurements that can only be done directly on the surface.

Operation of a programmable microfluidic organic analyzer under microgravity conditions simulating space flight environments

A programmable microfluidic organic analyzer was developed for detecting life signatures beyond Earth and clinical monitoring of astronaut health. Extensive environmental tests, including various gravitational environments, are required to confirm the functionality of this analyzer and advance its overall Technology Readiness Level. This work examines how the programmable microfluidic analyzer performed under simulated Lunar, Martian, zero, and hypergravity conditions during a parabolic flight. We confirmed that the functionality of the programmable microfluidic analyzer was minimally affected by the significant changes in the gravitational field, thus paving the way for its use in a variety of space mission opportunities.

Fast calculation method for mission opportunities in orbital interception and rendezvous problems

This paper proposes a fast calculation method to solve all mission opportunities for orbital interception and orbital rendezvous under the impulse-magnitude constraint. Different from the existing search methods, the proposed method does not need to solve Lambert’s problem in the whole process. Three cases are considered for either departure time or transfer time being free, or both being free. For fixed departure time, the feasible windows of transfer time are obtained by solving a single-variable nonlinear equation only of terminal true anomaly. Similarly, for fixed interception (or rendezvous) time, the feasible windows of departure time are obtained. For free departure time and free transfer time, all mission opportunities are obtained by using a one-dimensional search strategy. The hyperbolic-transfer and the multiple-revolution cases are also analyzed. Numerical results show that the proposed method is superior to the typical pork-chop plot method and the two-dimensional launch window method in computational time.

Laser desorption mass spectrometry with an Orbitrap analyser for in situ astrobiology

Laser desorption mass spectrometry (LDMS) enables in situ characterization of the organic content and chemical composition of planetary materials without requiring extensive sample processing. Coupled with an Orbitrap analyser capable of ultrahigh mass-resolving powers and accuracies, LDMS techniques facilitate the orthogonal detection of a wide range of biomarkers and classification of host mineralogy. Here an Orbitrap LDMS instrument that has been miniaturized for planetary exploration is shown to meet the performance standards of commercial systems and exceed key figures of merit of heritage spaceflight technologies, including those baselined for near-term mission opportunities. Biogenic compounds at area densities relevant to prospective missions to ocean worlds are identified unambiguously by redundant measurements of molecular ions (with and without salt adducts) and diagnostic fragments. The derivation of collision cross-sections serves to corroborate assignments and inform on molecular structure. Access to trace elements down to parts per million by weight levels provide insights into sample mineralogy and provenance. These analytical capabilities position the miniaturized LDMS described here for a wide range of high-priority mission concepts, such as those focused on life detection objectives (for example, Enceladus Orbilander) and progressive exploration of the lunar surface (for example, via the NASA Artemis Program). A miniaturized instrument comprising a pulsed UV laser system and an Orbitrap analyser enables the characterization of the organic content and chemical composition of planetary materials, supporting the science objectives of future planetary missions.

Tigers or Strawberries: Seizing the New Mission Opportunities Before Us for Church and Campus

The context of my ministry is LIFE Adventist Church in Berkeley, California, a campus church near the University of California, Berkeley. I also provide leadership direction for Adventist Public Campus Ministry across the North American Division. This paper addresses the ministry challenge and opportunity for our mission forward following the COVID-19 Pandemic. For many churches and mission programs, the COVID-19 Pandemic was a huge interruption of their entire operation. In many ways, for us COVID-19 was more of a disruption rather than a complete interruption of ministry. This paper discusses the factors that contributed to the continuation of our ministry at LIFE Adventist Church, and also for other students attending non-Adventist college and university campuses across North America. It will include suggestions for moving forward at this time. The pandemic has opened numerous opportunities for ministry, including some right in front of us. Ways will be suggested to integrate these opportunities into a new strategic plan for advancing the Kingdom of God in our ministry context in this unique time.

Tapered LADs: Acquiring Cryogenic Liquid Propellants in Deep Space

To carry out complex manoeuvres such as orbit insertion, large spacecraft on long voyages must carry tanks of liquid propellants, kept at ultra-cold temperatures. In existing designs, however, heat leaking into these tanks can form unwanted vapour bubbles in the channels required to extract their contents – which are especially difficult to remove in the microgravity environment of deep space. In their research, a team at the Southwest Research Institute presents a simple solution to this problem – through which the sides of these extraction channels are tapered, allowing vapour bubbles to escape. Results from recent microgravity testing of this technology could lead to exciting new opportunities for future space missions.

Sky Area Target of Opportunity Mission Planning Method

针对中法合作SVOM卫星的天区范围内机遇目标规划问题（ToO-MM），对其中的约束条件和优化目标进行抽象，建立了规划问题数学模型，设计实现了基于启发式规则的机遇目标规划算法TMHPA。以最大化卫星科学观测收益和最大化应急任务响应度为优化目标，考虑卫星姿态调整时间的影响，对观测任务和数传任务进行规划。通过仿真实验验证算法的有效性，结果表明该方法能够在保证算法收敛性和时效性同时，给出卫星在天区范围内的网格单元（tile）目标观测序列以及执行数传任务的时段安排，实现对ToO目标观测的快速响应，并及时下传机遇目标科学观测数据，满足规划算法的设计需求。

Lighthouse as a Transdisciplinary Boundary-Crossing Learning Innovation

The Lighthouse was a learning activity that offered entrepreneurship pedagogy outside the academic structures of higher education, in a religious context, and among grassroots practitioners. Over three years, participants passionate about their local communities were gathered nationally from across Aotearoa New Zealand. A weekend workshop introduced two artifacts: an Idea to Mission Opportunity Canvas and a Next Steps template. These were process-facilitation structures that through contextualised approaches, empowered participants to embed entrepreneurship processes in their local context. Pedagogical concepts of boundary-crossing and collaborative spirals of learning provides ways to understand the Lighthouse as a transdisciplinary learning innovation. Boundary-crossing learning mechanisms, including identification, coordination, perspective-making and transformation, inform analysis of the weekend. The mechanisms of identification and coordination provided ways to subvert traditional clergy structures. A collaborative spiral of learning provided a way to weave together religious resources with entrepreneurial processes. Participants felt empowered by the perspective-making of the Apostle Paul as an innovator. Participant feedback pointed to the need for a fifth boundary crossing learning mechanism, life-long learning.

Concept for 2033 Crewed Mars Orbital Mission with Venus Flyby

The 2033 Mars launch period provides a unique opportunity for a round-trip mission with a total flight time of only 1.6 years. A concept is presented to perform a crewed Mars orbital mission in 2033 that would minimize development and mission risk by using conventional hypergolic in-space propulsion stages with a common design. The Mars mission vehicle would include a Mars transit habitat, an Orion spacecraft, and chemical propulsion stages. It would be launched by a combination of Space Launch System and commercial rockets to be aggregated in high Earth orbit or at the Lunar Gateway. The crew would launch to the mission vehicle in Orion as the final element in the assembly. After transit to Mars, the crew would spend about 30 days in a high Mars orbit and then return to Earth via a Venus flyby and gravity assist. A sunshade would be deployed for thermal control of the mission vehicle inside 1 astronomical unit. The crew would return directly to Earth in the Orion crew module, with the transit habitat being expended. The 2033 mission would not be a “one-off” but could be a pathfinder for crew transport for landing missions to follow, perhaps starting as early as 2037.

Review of "Challenges and Opportunities for the Academic Mission Within Expanding Health Systems" by Chhabra KR, Diaz A, Byrnes ME, Rajkumar A, Yang P, Dimick JB, Nathan H. Ann Surg 2022;275(6):1221-1228.

Review of "Challenges and Opportunities for the Academic Mission Within Expanding Health Systems" by Chhabra KR, Diaz A, Byrnes ME, Rajkumar A, Yang P, Dimick JB, Nathan H. Ann Surg 2022;275(6):1221-1228.

Boosted Regression Tree Algorithm for the Reconstruction of GRACE-Based Terrestrial Water Storage Anomalies in the Yangtze River Basin

The terrestrial water storage anomaly (TWSA) from the previous Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) covers a relatively short period (15 years) with several missing periods. This study explores the boosted regression trees (BRT) and the artificial neural network (ANN) to reconstruct the TWSA series between 1982 and 2014 over the Yangtze River basin (YRB). Both algorithms are trained with several hydro-climatic variables (e.g., precipitation, soil moisture, and temperature) and climate indices for the YRB. The results from this study show that the BRT is capable of reconstructing TWSA and shows Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency (NSE) of 0.89 and a root-mean-square error (RMSE) of 18.94 mm during the test stage, outperforming ANN in about 2.3% and 7.4%, respectively. As a step further, the reliability of this technique in reconstructing TWSA beyond the GRACE era was also evaluated. Hence, a closed-loop simulation using the artificial TWSA series over 1982–2014 under the same scenarios for the actual GRACE data shows that BRT can predict TWSA (NSE of 0.92 and RMSE of 6.93 mm). Again, the BRT outperformed the ANN by approximately 1.1% and 5.3%, respectively. This study provides a new perspective for reconstructing and filling the gaps in the GRACE–TWSA series over data-scarce regions, which is desired for hydrological drought characterization and environmental studies. BRT offers such an opportunity for the GRACE Follow-On mission to predict 11 months of missing TWSA data by relying on a limited number of predictive variables, hence being adjudged to be more economical than the ANN.

Drag and Attitude Control for the Next Generation Gravity Mission

The Next Generation Gravity Mission (NGGM), currently in a feasibility study phase as a candidate Mission of Opportunity for ESA-NASA cooperation in the frame of the Mass Change and Geo-Sciences International Constellation (MAGIC), is designed to monitor mass transport in the Earth system by its variable gravity signature with increased spatial and temporal resolution. The NGGM will be composed by a constellation of two pairs of satellites, each providing the measurement of two quantities from which the map of Earth’s gravity field will be obtained: the variation of the distance between two satellites of each pair, measured by a laser interferometer with nanometer precision; and the relative non-gravitational acceleration between the centers of mass of each satellite pair, measured by ultra-sensitive accelerometers. This article highlights the importance of the second “observable” in the reconstruction of the lower harmonics of Earth’s gravity field, by highlighting the tight control requirements in linear and angular accelerations and angular rates, and the expectable performances from the drag-free, attitude, and orbit control system (DFAOCS) obtained through an end-to-end (E2E) simulator. The errors resulting from different mission scenarios with varying levels of drag-free control and pointing accuracy are then presented, demonstrating that a high-performance accelerometer alone is not sufficient to achieve the measurement quality necessary to achieve the mission objectives, if the spacecraft does not provide to this sensor a suitable drag-free environment and a precise and stable pointing. The consequences of these different mission scenarios on the gravity field retrieval accuracy, especially for the lower spherical harmonic degrees, are computed in order to quantitatively justify the rationale for these capabilities on the NGGM spacecraft.

ECOCEL database: An online tool for asteroid mission planning

The Near-Earth asteroids (NEAs) may be the most promising targets for resources to be used for space manufacturing. Metals, semiconductors and volatiles from asteroids can be used for production of propellant, space constructions and life-support of crewed missions. An assessment of accessible resources and selection of best asteroids-candidates implies a mission analysis together with a compositional data. The ECOCEL database is a web-based tool developed at ISAE-SUPAERO for selection of asteroids-candidates for future space mining missions. The database contains 326 NEAs. For each object, the database includes (i) one-way and round-trip rendezvous mission opportunities computed for 2025–2050 launch period, and (ii) estimated composition inferred from spectral classification and meteorite analogs. The web-application enables searching for suitable target asteroids while specifying mission constraints. In addition, the ECOCEL tool provides a visualisation of compositional data for the entire sample of asteroids.

Woke Culture in Canada? Anthropological Errors and Opportunities for Mission

With the recent emergence of the so-called “woke culture” in North America and Europe, and given the wide variety of ways “woke” has been interpreted by Christians, this paper begins by defining “woke culture” through the lens of anthropology: what is “woke culture” and what does it presuppose about the meaning of being human? The paper argues that “woke culture” carries within it the seeds of an anthropological error: it ignores the original evidence of the giveness of an embodied identity, including both the inherent meaningfulness of having received one’s body from another, and the significance of its sexual differentiation as male or female. A reduced understanding of human freedom as pure “self-making” also follows. By contrast, Pope John Paul II presents an adequate anthropology by placing embodied human experience at its center. Taking Canada as a case study for “woke culture,” examples from the three fundamental anthropological categories of birth, love (sexual difference) and death are discussed. In the face of the great confusion generated by this new category of “woke,” assessing its anthropological foundations prepares those who are engaged in Catholic education or pastoral work to respond adequately to the challenges it brings. The paper invites both a critical reading of woke culture, and a fearless creativity to be present within it.

Missio-pastoral and theological implications for migration and increased demagoguing in South Africa

This article highlights mission challenges presented by the intensified movement of people in South Africa with a view to identify opportunities for Christian mission and challenge demagoguing in the context of growing intolerance. Migration is identified as an opportunity for mission and discussed as one of the untapped resources not just for mission, but also for economic development and social transformation. Compassion fatigue and complex challenges presented by COVID-19 have eroded traditional roles that ensured hospitality to strangers and despite an increase in scholarly interest in human mobility, policy makers, politicians and economists have not taken migration flows within the South African context seriously. This has serious missional implications and requires restoration of ubuntu as a biblical imperative.