Dr. Mike Nolan: Research Professor; OSIRIS-APEX Mission Deputy Principal Investigator, Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, University of Arizona
Monday, October 14, 2024,
2:30pm – 3:30 pm,
ASA Koffler Great Room at and Zoom
The University of Arizona-led OSIRIS-REx spacecraft returned to Earth with its sample of asteroid Bennu just over a year ago, with a few dramatic moments. Analysis of the sample is underway, with the first publications appearing this past summer. Immediately after dropping off the Bennu sample on September 24 of last year, the spacecraft fired its rockets to head to the asteroid Apophis, as a new mission, OSIRIS-APEX. Apophis is about 1000 feet across, half again as big as the Arizona stadium, or about as big as the Tucson airport terminal.
When it was discovered in 2004, Apophis was predicted to have a 2.4% chance of hitting Earth on April 13, 2029. After more study, we now know that it will not hit the Earth but will pass by at about a tenth of the distance to the Moon, closer than some Earth-orbiting satellites. At that time, the OSIRIS-APEX Mission will rendezvous with Apophis and study it in detail.
The study of Apophis has two goals. The first is to learn more about this type of stony asteroid, whose composition is quite different from Bennu’s, and what it will tell us about the early history of the solar system. The second goal is to learn all we can that might mitigate potential damage to the Earth by the future impact of Apophis or other near-Earth asteroids.
Michael Nolan has a BS in Chemistry from Caltech and a PhD in Planetary Science from the University of Arizona. Before returning to UA in 2015 as a Research Professor at the Lunar and Planetary Laboratory to work on the OSIRIS-REx mission, he worked as a Research Associate at the Arecibo Observatory in Arecibo, Puerto Rico, with various positions including Observatory Director. He is a team member for the DART mission which tested the ability to modify an asteroid’s trajectory and is now the Deputy Principal Investigator for the OSIRIS-APEX Mission. He is a recipient of NASA’s Outstanding Public Leadership Medal.
Compiled and edited by Marcia Neugebayer, Academy Village Volunteer
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