5 Ways We Use Pi for Space Exploration Missions

In a celestial dance around asteroid Bennu, NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission utilized pi to meticulously map its rugged surface. By incorporating pi into the spacecraft’s navigation algorithms, OSIRIS-REx was placed into an optimal orbit to gain unprecedented insights into the asteroid’s topography, which allowed for a precision tag and sample collection.

 

 

On Mars, NASA’s InSight Lander harnessed the power of pi to help detect and analyze Marsquakes. By employing pi in the calculations of seismic data, scientists could precisely measure surface waves traveling outward from the epicenter of the seismic event, helping to determine when a quake occurred.

 

 

NASA’s deep space network (DSN) relies on pi for communication with distant spacecraft like Lucy, OSIRIS-REx/APEX and Juno. Pi plays a role in encoding and decoding signals, ensuring that vital information—like spacecraft commands —traverses the void of space with accuracy.

 

 

Getting into orbit requires leveraging pi into trajectory calculations, from launch all the way to orbital insertion. Pi helps guide human-rated spacecraft, like Orion, through the intricacies of gravitational forces. This ensures that these satellites, orbiters and manned spacecraft reach their intended orbits with extreme accuracy.

 

 

With current and upcoming asteroid missions like Lucy and OSIRIS-APEX, tracking these rocky bodies is essential. By utilizing pi in orbital calculations and trajectory predictions, scientists can precisely monitor the paths of these cosmic wanderers to aid mission planners with developing intricate yet efficient mission profiles.