Our team and mission

This position is based at the ESA Centre for Earth Observation (ESRIN) – Frascati, Italy

The ESA Space Safety Programme Office takes care of all potential hazards from space or in space, which can impact human activities on Earth or again in space. The spectrum of tasks ranges from gathering the basic understanding of space hazards originating from our Sun, from man-made space debris, or from asteroids potentially colliding with the Earth. It also addresses basic approaches to mitigate these hazards and to implement space systems end-to-end in a sustainable and eco-compatible way. Moreover, several corner stone missions are underway to demonstrate basic methods of space weather forecasting, asteroid deflection and active space debris removal from orbit.

The Planetary Defence Office (PDO) is addressing the “…prediction and detection [of] the potential impact of a near-Earth object”. Concerning the information needs for NEO monitoring, the following are defined:

• Knowledge of the current and future positions of all NEO objects above a given size threshold or risk level, in particular their minimum fly-by distance to the Earth and time of this event;
• Maintain awareness of collision risks with the Earth;
• Access to verifiable, dependable, timely data with integrity and known accuracy.

The top-level Office tasks are:
1. Issue NEO impact warnings and news releases.
2. Provide direct access to data in the NEO database.
3. Provide access to data in the NEO database available only via registration.
4. Perform additional observations.
5. Provide high priority information.
6. Provide educational and outreach material.
7. Provide user tools.

The PDO is structured along three vertical pillars differentiating following activity area:

• Observation
• Information Provision
• Mitigation

For further information visit our web site: http://www.esa.int

Field(s) of activity for the internship

You can choose between the following topics:

1) Topic 1: Analysis of astrometric precision requirement for NEOMIR

NEOMIR (NEO Mission in the Infra-Red) is an ESA space mission currently under the so-called phase-0 industrial study. Its main purpose is to detect near-Earth objects (NEOs) coming from the “Sun direction”, i.e. with very low elongation. Those are very difficult to be detected from the ground with optical telescopes because they are only visible during sunset or sunrise, when the sky is still very bright; moreover, they reflect very little light. A space mission placed in the Sun-Earth 1st Lagrange point (L1), observing towards the Sun in the wavelengths where the NEOs thermal emission peak, would allow detecting possible impact threats with sufficient warning time. However, ground-based follow-up optical observations are needed to better assess the size of the object and its orbit. This is only doable if we know with enough precision the NEO position at the time of the follow-up observations.

The scope of the project is to assess how the NEO orbit uncertainty evolves with time as a function of NEOMIR’s observational arc, astrometric precision and parallax effects between L1 and Earth.

As an intern, you will receive guidance and mentorship from experts at the NEO Coordination Centre , including astronomers and orbital dynamics specialists.

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2) Topic 2: Exploring Elusive Orbits for Near-Earth Asteroids

Some orbits can exist under highly specific conditions, rendering them practically impossible to observe, such as orbits sharing identical orbital parameters with Earth but having a phase angle shifted by 180 degrees. These unique orbits remain hidden from Earth’s view. This internship opportunity aims to look into the study of these intriguing “impossible orbits” that near-Earth asteroids (NEAs) could possess. The primary objective is to investigate and potentially quantify the existence of such elusive orbital geometries or conditions that make these asteroids exceptionally challenging to observe from Earth.

The study will involve theoretical investigations, aiming to understand the dynamics and characteristics of these elusive orbits thoroughly. By analysing data from major survey telescopes, we will further explore the possibility of a distinct class of “escaping” orbits – those that have managed to evade detection by traditional large survey telescopes, whose observations, for example, hardly fall within the Milky Way. Orbits, as viewed from the Earth, that remain compatible with the Milky Way background for an extended period might escape our knowledge. We seek to uncover these special orbits, whether they are truly “impossible” or simply “escaping”, and strive to better quantify the number of asteroids that fall into these two categories.

The insights gained from this research will be instrumental in developing strategies to mitigate the challenges posed by these “impossible” or escaping orbits, thus enhancing our ability to observe and track near-Earth asteroids effectively.

As an intern, you will receive guidance and mentorship from experts at the NEO Coordination Centre (https://neo.ssa.esa.int/), including astronomers and orbital dynamics specialists.

Behavioural competencies

Result Orientation
Operational Efficiency
Fostering Cooperation
Relationship Management
Continuous Improvement
Forward Thinking

Education

You must have student status and be enrolled at university for the entire duration of the internship. You should preferably be in your final or second to last year of a university course at master’s level in a technical or scientific discipline.

Additional requirements

The working languages of the Agency are English and French. A good knowledge of one of these is required. Knowledge of another Member State language would be an asset.

Additional Requirements:

1) Topic 1:

• You shall be in his/her final year of a Physics, Maths or Aerospace Engineering master’s degree
• You shall have a good knowledge of a scripting/programming language (preferably Python) as well as grasp oforbital mechanics and NEO topic in general
• Understanding of NEOs thermal emission and their properties is consideredan asset.

2) Topic 2:

• You shall be in his/her final year of a Physics, Maths or Aerospace Engineering master’s degree
• Background in asteroid orbital dynamics, proficiency in Python programming, and knowledge of multi-factorial problem optimization algorithms are valuable assets for this role