Testing the equipment on an interstellar mission is one of the first things operators do when the spacecraft successfully launches. In some cases, those tests show the future troubles the mission will face, such as what happened to NASA\u2019s Lucy mission a few years ago. However, in some cases, the mission provides us with perspectives we might never have seen before, which was the case for Hera, ESA\u2019s mission to Dimorphos. This asteroid was deflected successfully during NASA\u2019s DART test in 2022.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Hera was successfully launched on October 7th and carries a series of instruments designed to peer at the asteroids using different wavelengths. Some instruments were turned toward the Earth and Moon from about a million km away as part of the mission\u2019s Near-Earth Commissioning Phase. The resulting pictures showcase the spacecraft\u2019s capabilities and provide a new perspective of our \u201cterraqueous globe,\u201d as Carl Sagan once put it, and our much more sterile neighbor.<\/p>\n First, we have an image from the Asteroid Framing Camera or AFC. Technically comprised of two cameras (for redundancy, as so many space missions do), this monochrome 1020\u00d71020 image is the clearest of the three released by ESA as part of a press release. It gives a sense of the scale of the distance between the Earth and the Moon, which can be hard to judge when down on the planet\u2019s surface.<\/p>\n Next up is the Thermal Infrared Imager, or TIRI. This one was taken slightly closer, at 1.4 million kilometers away (about three times the distance from the Earth to the Moon itself). TIRI is designed to capture infrared wavelengths of light \u2013 which we usually think of as heat. Watching Dimorphos over time will allow it to understand the \u201cthermal inertia\u201d of certain regions, which scientists can use to discern some important physical properties of the asteroid. While not the most exciting space image ever captured, the successful operation of this sensitive instrument is critical to the mission.<\/p>\n Finally, there\u2019s Hyperscout H. It, too, is designed to capture Dimorphos in wavelengths that humans can\u2019t visibly see \u2013 in this case, 650 nm to 950 nm wavelengths, which is considered \u201cnear infrared\u201d as compared to the \u201cmid-infrared\u201d capabilities of TIRI. Also, this imager comes with its own false color depiction, showing \u201cshorter\u201d wavelengths, which are closer to our visible spectrum, as shades of blue, whereas \u201creds\u201d represent wavelengths farther away from visible light.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Earth and Moon have been imaged most likely millions of times in these wavelengths before, so it\u2019s unlikely that any science will be gleaned from these images. Still, these images are invaluable as proof of concept for the operation of the systems. The three cameras comprise some of the essential parts of Hera\u2019s \u201casteroid deck,\u201d which houses most of the spacecraft\u2019s other instruments, including two CubeSat deployers, a laser rangefinder, and antennas for deep-space communication with Earth. Many of those different instruments will have to wait until \u201cshow time\u201d when the craft arrives at the binary asteroid system in December 2026. Hopefully, we will also receive plenty more images from the three systems covered here.<\/p>\n Learn More: Lead Image:
Credit \u2013 ESA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Hera_s_first_images_Thermal_Infrared_Imager.jpg\")
Credit \u2013 ESA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Hera_s_first_images_HyperScout_H.jpg\")
Credit \u2013 ESA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
ESA \u2013 Hera\u2019s first images offer parting glimpse of Earth and Moon
UT \u2013 Hera Probe Heads Off to See Aftermath of DART\u2019s Asteroid Impact
UT \u2013 ESA\u2019s Hera Mission is Bringing Two Cubesats Along. They\u2019ll Be Landing on Dimorphos
UT \u2013 The Smallest Radar Ever Sent to Space Will Probe the Interior of Dimorphos After its Impact From DART<\/p>\n
Image of Earth from the AFC
Credit \u2013 ESA<\/p>\nLike this:<\/h3>\n