OSU researchers monitor hypersonic shockwaves as part of NASA OSIRIS-REx mission

Monday, September 25, 2023

Media Contact:
Mack Burke | Affiliate Director of Media Relations | 405-744-5540 | mack.burke_iv@okstate.edu

Probe returns to Earth with samples from Bennu Asteroid

As NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft accomplished its 1.2-billion-mile journey residence and despatched
its pattern return capsule again to Earth, a workforce of Oklahoma State College researchers
was ready and listening.

The group, led by Drs. Jamey Jacob and Brian Elbing, is finding out and classifying completely different
sources of infrasound — that are sounds beneath the brink for human listening to ranges
at 20 hertz or much less — and the OSIRIS-REx return capsule offers a novel alternative.

To eavesdrop on the reentry of the probe, which was carrying samples from the Bennu
Asteroid, the workforce launched high-altitude balloons carrying specialised microphones
close to the Utah and Nevada border and deployed floor sensors close to the touchdown web site.

“We’re doing one thing that is by no means been performed earlier than. Nobody’s ever tried to pay attention
to those hypersonic shockwaves from these balloons,” stated Zach Yap, analysis and improvement
engineer at OSU’s Oklahoma Aerospace Institute for Analysis and Schooling (OAIRE).
“Being a part of a workforce that will get to try this — to try to hopefully succeed at getting
these indicators and additional the information of what we learn about these sorts of sound
waves and this fashion of measuring them is an actual alternative.”

And the workforce did reach its mission.

“Total, issues went about in addition to we might have hoped,” Elbing stated. “Zach and
Emalee [Hough] have been in a position to efficiently assist launch balloons forward of the entry,
and our floor workforce obtained some very nice information.

“We confirmed our information to Elizabeth Silber, a Sandia Nationwide Labs researcher and undertaking
lead for the bottom efforts, and she or he stated, ‘This can be a lovely, clear sign, like
a textbook case.’”

As well as, Elbing’s college students are teaming up with infrasound researchers from the
College of Hawaii.

“They helped one another with figuring out locations to deploy sensors,” Elbing stated. “This
has created some distinctive alternatives for extra collaboration with them as we
analyze our information.”

OSU’s position within the OSIRIS-REx mission was a part of a number of tasks being led by NASA’s
Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Sandia Nationwide Laboratory.

“Organizations resembling JPL and Sandia Nationwide Lab entrusting OSU as crucial companions
within the mission demonstrates the preeminence of our capabilities and personnel,” stated
Jacob, who serves as govt director of OAIRE. “Offering distinctive alternatives for college kids whereas concurrently serving nationwide
pursuits and fixing world challenges is a part of our land-grant mission, and we
look ahead to serving to resolve the subsequent grand problem.”

The usage of infrasound-recording balloons is a part of a undertaking being led by Dr. Siddharth
Krishnamoorthy at JPL.

With the ability to measure these infrasound sources from balloons will hopefully assist researchers
not solely higher perceive our planet however be capable to research different planets, like Venus.

Nonetheless, alternatives to hearken to a identified object reentering Earth’s ambiance are
uncommon.

“That is solely the fifth object re-entering from interplanetary area because the finish
of the Apollo mission,” stated Elbing, an affiliate professor in mechanical and aerospace
engineering, “So, it is a distinctive alternative as a result of we will measure meteors, however you
by no means know when they’re coming, so you possibly can’t put sensors the place you need them to
be.”

The bottom sensors are a part of a undertaking being led by Elizabeth Silber and Danny Bowman
at Sandia Nationwide Labs. They have been keen on utilizing the OSIRIS-REx re-entry as
an “synthetic meteor” to higher perceive how we will use sound to find out the
origin, velocity, mass and form of meteors, Elbing stated.

Characterization of those infrasounds is extremely troublesome, Elbing stated.

“That’s the place this analysis is available in,” Jacob stated. “Because the reentry probe is a
identified amount, specifically mass and reentry trajectory, it offers us a possibility to
calibrate the methods and see how nicely they work.” 

The toughest half about researching infrasound is that it’s a surprisingly noisy setting
to work in, Elbing stated.

“No person is policing it as a result of there’s no person that complains about these sounds,”
he stated. “So, it is truly fairly noisy, and so they carry over lengthy distances.”

Infrasound can come from many issues resembling tornadoes, earthquakes, volcanoes, air
turbulence and even the heaving of the ocean, which one can hear all over the place on Earth
at round 0.2 hertz — usually referred to as the sound of the ocean, Elbing stated.

Because the workforce characterizes extra sounds, they’ll type by means of the noise and higher
perceive what their sensors are selecting up, which suggests they’ll hear tornadoes
earlier than they change into harmful, (a earlier analysis undertaking of Elbing’s); pay attention for
issues getting into the ambiance, from meteors to intercontinental ballistic missiles;
and higher perceive what is occurring around the globe, all by simply listening.

When the partnership initially began, NASA was searching for somebody to assist launch
high-altitude balloons, or heliotropes, in Oklahoma.

“Initially, they have been going to return right here and launch the balloons themselves,” Elbing
stated.

Nonetheless, after seeing the workforce’s experience on this space, NASA determined that OSU would
be liable for all facets of the launches.

“I believe we’ve got had different individuals on web site with us twice,” Elbing stated. “You possibly can see
the boldness within the pupil researchers and the workforce when NASA present up and says,
‘You guys obtained it.’”

Emalee Hough, a analysis and improvement engineer at OAIRE has been actively working
on heliotrope analysis with NASA JPL and Sandia Nationwide Labs for the final two years
and was a part of the workforce liable for launching the balloons for the reentry.

“To be concerned with the first-of-its-kind analysis efforts to detect the reentry
of the asteroid pattern is superb in itself,” Hough stated. “Being requested to assist as a result of
of my expertise of their earlier campaigns is tremendous thrilling, and I’m honored they
needed me to assist out.”

This chance additionally offers a steppingstone for additional analysis in area.

“This builds upon years of collaboration between Dr. Elbing and myself and each NASA
JPL’s and Sandia Nationwide Laboratory,” Jacob stated. “The long-term purpose is to develop
and reveal a platform for flight on Venus to seek for the Venusian quakes.”

The mission to Venus could be the primary NASA mission of its form to discover the geology
of Venus and map out tremors, Jacob stated.

The longest surviving man-made object to land on Venus’ floor solely survived 120
minutes, which suggests balloons often is the reply.

“The Venusian ambiance is fairly just like our ambiance at 60,000 toes,” Yap
stated.

The ambiance can also be denser than the Earth’s ambiance, which means sound waves will
propagate significantly better within the Venusian ambiance than they’ll on Earth.

“So, if we will hear one thing on Earth, you possibly can positively hear its equal on
Venus,” Yap stated.

The undertaking will use a balloon-borne infrasonic sensor to detect low-amplitude stress
waves from the bottom because it shakes, very like one would get from a subwoofer, Jacob
stated. And, since Venus fashioned in methods like Earth, listening for earthquakes and tremors
on its floor might present precious perception into Earth’s formation.  

From classifying sounds on Earth, to finding out Venus, the impression of this analysis is
far sweeping.

“It finally improves nationwide safety and it is one other instance that there’s a
rising market and alternatives for the usage of these high-altitude balloons,” Elbing
stated. “We’re positioned as a pacesetter on this space.”