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Europlanet Congress 2024 Highlights: Lucy's Asteroid Flyby, Interstellar Comet 3I Atlas, and Apophis Seismology
At the 20th Europlanet Science Congress in Helsinki, scientists from around the world gathered to discuss small bodies—asteroids and comets—and what they reveal about the solar system’s history. The session spotlighted NASA’s Lucy mission and its flyby of a bilobed main-belt asteroid, the unexpectedly active interior dynamics of Donald Johansson, and the chance to observe interstellar comet 3I Atlas with a fleet of missions, including Europa Clipper and Lucy. Speakers also outlined plans to deploy a seismometer on the asteroid Apophis during its close approach to Earth, a first-of-its-kind experiment that could illuminate the internal structure of rubble-pile bodies. The program demonstrated global collaboration, multi-mission coordination, and the rush to capture rapid science during fleeting encounters.
Overview: A festival of planetary science and the small bodies that shape our solar system
The Science in Action team, broadcasting from Helsinki, captures a gathering of hundreds of planetary scientists who are intensely focused on the minor rocks and ice that orbit our Sun. The dialogue centers on how the solar system formed, the information small bodies carry about its early days, and how multiple missions can be orchestrated to extract complementary data. The Lucy mission, now en route to conduct close-up studies of Trojan and main-belt asteroids, is highlighted for its ability to test instruments in a high-stakes, 12-year mission framework where the critical science happens within tight windows of opportunity. The event demonstrates how field observations from diverse platforms converge to build a cohesive narrative about solar system history.
"The whole purpose of doing these main-be asteroids was to make sure that all the processes were in place, that we made sure we knew what we were doing when we got to the Trojan," - Hal Levison
Lucy and the byproducts of a rapid flyby: learning from Don Johansson and a bilobed world
Hal Levison explains that Lucy's mission profile is designed to maximize science in a single, high-stakes encounter sequence. Latest data from a preliminary flyby of a small main-belt asteroid, Donald Johansson, provides a reality test for instrument performance and data interpretation before the more challenging Trojan targets. The bilobed shape and unusual interior structure prompt questions about formation mechanisms—whether contact binaries or collisional fragments, and how internal gravity and surface processes shape the landscape. The discussion emphasizes how even a short observation can reveal complex geology, from deformation in craters to subtle structural features that hint at the object's past, and how teams adapt plans when reality diverges from expectations.
"We are coordinating with all the mission teams to figure out who's in good position to observe what they might be able to observe" - Tom Statler
Atlas and the interstellar opportunity: coordinating multi-mission observations
The conference turns to 3I Atlas, the first confirmed interstellar object to pass through our solar system, and the extraordinary coordination it has inspired. Europa Clipper, Lucy, and other spacecraft headed for Mars and the main belt are tuning their trajectories to catch Atlas as it traverses the inner solar system. Because Earth lies on the far side of the Sun for the closest approaches, deep-space assets on the right side of the Sun play a crucial role. Attendees discuss how observations from different vantage points—ranging from dust and plasma measurements to high-resolution imaging and multi-wavelength spectroscopy—will illuminate the composition and physical evolution of an object formed around another star. The moment represents a rare convergence of technology, curiosity, and international cooperation in planetary science.
"It's a first seismic measurement on the surface of an asteroid" - Naomi Murdoch
Apophis: seismology, mass, and the promise of a rubble-pile understanding
The dialogue shifts to Apophis, the near-Earth asteroid making a rare, gravity-influenced pass by Earth in 2029. Naomi Murdoch describes a RAM-SCI-inspired concept to deploy two CubeSats around Apophis, including a seismometer to capture seismic signals generated by tidal forces as Earth’s gravity acts on the rubble-pile structure. The mission envisions a slow, low-velocity deployment and a data-rich harvesting period before and after the close approach, with the aim of deducing internal mass distribution and surface mobility. Attendees explore the challenges of instrument sensitivity, predicted seismic amplitudes, and the potential to map surface movement as the asteroid reconfigures itself under tidal stress, an event that could reshape our understanding of asteroid dynamics during planetary encounters.
"We can see how the surface looks like and also we have spectrometer, so we'll be able to get spectrum" - Jian-Yang Li
Global collaboration and the path forward
The final discussions emphasize the sense of global collaboration that pervades modern planetary science. From planning to execution and cross-agency coordination, the session demonstrates how the community leverages shared data, distributed instruments, and a collective enthusiasm for high-impact science near the limits of observation. Speakers reiterate the value of multi-mission perspectives to build a robust, cross-validated picture of our solar system’s small bodies, and they look ahead to more integrated content that connects missions with the broader narrative of solar system evolution and humanity’s place within it.
"This is an exciting time to be alive. It’s an exciting time to be a planetary scientist and especially to be interested in our solar system's small bodies" - Tom Statler