J002E3
Encyclopedia
J002E3 is the designation given to a supposed asteroid
discovered by amateur astronomer Bill Yeung
on September 3, 2002. Further examination revealed the object was not a rock asteroid but instead the S-IVB
third stage
of the Apollo 12
Saturn V
rocket (serial
S-IVB-507).
When it was first discovered it was quickly found that the object was in an orbit
around Earth
. Astronomers were surprised at this as the Moon
is the only large object in orbit around the EarthAlso believed to orbit the Earth are the Kordylewski cloud
s: large transient concentrations of dust at the Trojan points of the Earth–Moon system, discovered in 1956 by the Polish
astronomer Kazimierz Kordylewski
. and anything else would have been ejected long ago due to perturbation
s with the Earth, the Moon and the Sun
.
Therefore it must have entered into Earth orbit very recently, yet there was no recently-launched spacecraft that matched the orbit of J002E3. One explanation could have been that it was a 30-meter wide piece of rock, but University of Arizona
astronomers found that the object's electromagnetic spectrum
was consistent with white titanium dioxide
paint, the same paint used by NASA
for the Saturn V
rockets. Back-tracing its orbit showed that the object had been orbiting the Sun for 31 years and had last been in the vicinity of the Earth in 1971. This seemed to suggest that it was a part of the Apollo 14
mission but NASA knew the whereabouts of all hardware used for this mission; the third stage, for instance, was deliberately crashed into the Moon for seismic studies.
The only other explanation was that it was the S-IVB
third stage for Apollo 12
. NASA had originally planned to direct the S-IVB into a solar orbit, but an extra long burn of the ullage motor
s meant that venting the remaining propellant
in the tank of the S-IVB did not give the rocket stage enough energy to escape the Earth–Moon system, and instead the stage ended up in a semi-stable orbit around the Earth after passing by the Moon on November 18, 1969. The Apollo 12 S-IVB eventually vanished.
It is thought that J002E3 left Earth orbit in June 2003, and that it may return to orbit the Earth in about 2032.
Asteroid
Asteroids are a class of small Solar System bodies in orbit around the Sun. They have also been called planetoids, especially the larger ones...
discovered by amateur astronomer Bill Yeung
William Kwong Yu Yeung
William Kwong Yu Yeung is a Hong Kong-born, Canadian astronomer with telescopes based in the United States.He is a prolific discoverer of asteroids and also discovered the comet 172P/Yeung...
on September 3, 2002. Further examination revealed the object was not a rock asteroid but instead the S-IVB
S-IVB
The S-IVB was built by the Douglas Aircraft Company and served as the third stage on the Saturn V and second stage on the Saturn IB. It had one J-2 engine...
third stage
Multistage rocket
A multistage rocket is a rocket that usestwo or more stages, each of which contains its own engines and propellant. A tandem or serial stage is mounted on top of another stage; a parallel stage is attached alongside another stage. The result is effectively two or more rockets stacked on top of or...
of the Apollo 12
Apollo 12
Apollo 12 was the sixth manned flight in the American Apollo program and the second to land on the Moon . It was launched on November 14, 1969 from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, four months after Apollo 11. Mission commander Charles "Pete" Conrad and Lunar Module Pilot Alan L...
Saturn V
Saturn V
The Saturn V was an American human-rated expendable rocket used by NASA's Apollo and Skylab programs from 1967 until 1973. A multistage liquid-fueled launch vehicle, NASA launched 13 Saturn Vs from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida with no loss of crew or payload...
rocket (serial
Serial number
A serial number is a unique number assigned for identification which varies from its successor or predecessor by a fixed discrete integer value...
S-IVB-507).
When it was first discovered it was quickly found that the object was in an orbit
Orbit
In physics, an orbit is the gravitationally curved path of an object around a point in space, for example the orbit of a planet around the center of a star system, such as the Solar System...
around Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
. Astronomers were surprised at this as the Moon
Moon
The Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more...
is the only large object in orbit around the EarthAlso believed to orbit the Earth are the Kordylewski cloud
Kordylewski cloud
Kordylewski clouds are large concentrations of dust that may exist at the and Lagrangian points of the Earth–Moon system. They were first reported by Polish astronomer Kazimierz Kordylewski in the 1960s, but there is still controversy as to whether they actually exist, due to their extreme...
s: large transient concentrations of dust at the Trojan points of the Earth–Moon system, discovered in 1956 by the Polish
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
astronomer Kazimierz Kordylewski
Kazimierz Kordylewski
Kazimierz Kordylewski was a Polish astronomer.In 1956 he claimed the discovery of the Kordylewski clouds which are believed to be large transient concentrations of dust at the Trojan points of the Earth-Moon system. The existence of the clouds is still contested.-External links:* *...
. and anything else would have been ejected long ago due to perturbation
Perturbation (astronomy)
Perturbation is a term used in astronomy in connection with descriptions of the complex motion of a massive body which is subject to appreciable gravitational effects from more than one other massive body....
s with the Earth, the Moon and the Sun
Sun
The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is almost perfectly spherical and consists of hot plasma interwoven with magnetic fields...
.
Therefore it must have entered into Earth orbit very recently, yet there was no recently-launched spacecraft that matched the orbit of J002E3. One explanation could have been that it was a 30-meter wide piece of rock, but University of Arizona
University of Arizona
The University of Arizona is a land-grant and space-grant public institution of higher education and research located in Tucson, Arizona, United States. The University of Arizona was the first university in the state of Arizona, founded in 1885...
astronomers found that the object's electromagnetic spectrum
Electromagnetic spectrum
The electromagnetic spectrum is the range of all possible frequencies of electromagnetic radiation. The "electromagnetic spectrum" of an object is the characteristic distribution of electromagnetic radiation emitted or absorbed by that particular object....
was consistent with white titanium dioxide
Titanium dioxide
Titanium dioxide, also known as titanium oxide or titania, is the naturally occurring oxide of titanium, chemical formula . When used as a pigment, it is called titanium white, Pigment White 6, or CI 77891. Generally it comes in two different forms, rutile and anatase. It has a wide range of...
paint, the same paint used by NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
for the Saturn V
Saturn V
The Saturn V was an American human-rated expendable rocket used by NASA's Apollo and Skylab programs from 1967 until 1973. A multistage liquid-fueled launch vehicle, NASA launched 13 Saturn Vs from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida with no loss of crew or payload...
rockets. Back-tracing its orbit showed that the object had been orbiting the Sun for 31 years and had last been in the vicinity of the Earth in 1971. This seemed to suggest that it was a part of the Apollo 14
Apollo 14
Apollo 14 was the eighth manned mission in the American Apollo program, and the third to land on the Moon. It was the last of the "H missions", targeted landings with two-day stays on the Moon with two lunar EVAs, or moonwalks....
mission but NASA knew the whereabouts of all hardware used for this mission; the third stage, for instance, was deliberately crashed into the Moon for seismic studies.
The only other explanation was that it was the S-IVB
S-IVB
The S-IVB was built by the Douglas Aircraft Company and served as the third stage on the Saturn V and second stage on the Saturn IB. It had one J-2 engine...
third stage for Apollo 12
Apollo 12
Apollo 12 was the sixth manned flight in the American Apollo program and the second to land on the Moon . It was launched on November 14, 1969 from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, four months after Apollo 11. Mission commander Charles "Pete" Conrad and Lunar Module Pilot Alan L...
. NASA had originally planned to direct the S-IVB into a solar orbit, but an extra long burn of the ullage motor
Ullage motor
Ullage motors are relatively small, independently-fueled rocket engines that may be fired to accelerate the rocket prior to main engine ignition, when the vehicle is in a zero-g situation....
s meant that venting the remaining propellant
Propellant
A propellant is a material that produces pressurized gas that:* can be directed through a nozzle, thereby producing thrust ;...
in the tank of the S-IVB did not give the rocket stage enough energy to escape the Earth–Moon system, and instead the stage ended up in a semi-stable orbit around the Earth after passing by the Moon on November 18, 1969. The Apollo 12 S-IVB eventually vanished.
It is thought that J002E3 left Earth orbit in June 2003, and that it may return to orbit the Earth in about 2032.
See also
- 6Q0B44E6Q0B44E6Q0B44E, sometimes abbreviated to B44E, is a small object, probably an item of space debris, currently orbiting the Earth outside the orbit of the Moon....
, space debris originally thought to be a meteoroid - 2006 RH1202006 RH1202006 RH120 is a tiny near-Earth asteroid with a diameter of about five metres, which ordinarily orbits the Sun but makes close approaches to the Earth–Moon system every twenty years or so. Occasionally the object temporarily enters Earth orbit through temporary satellite capture...
, a meteoroid originally thought to be space debris - 3753 Cruithne3753 Cruithne3753 Cruithne is an asteroid in orbit around the Sun in approximate 1:1 orbital resonance with the Earth. It is a periodic inclusion planetoid orbiting the Sun in an apparent horseshoe orbit. It has been incorrectly called "Earth's second moon", but it is only a quasi-satellite. Cruithne never...