On Friday the 13th, in 2029, our planet will face a dangerous rendezvous
The European Space Agency (ESA) announced the launch of a mission to the asteroid Apophis approaching our planet. The collected data may show how to deflect deadly asteroids heading towards Earth in the future.
Photo: ru.freepik.com
Despite the apparent obviousness, Friday, December 13, 2029 will be an unusually lucky day for humanity, as an asteroid the size of the Empire State Building will fly close to Earth, writes the Daily Mail.
Scientists now believe that the approach of space asteroid 99942 Apophis to Earth may be the best opportunity to learn how to avoid a catastrophic collision with an asteroid.
The European Space Agency (ESA) has announced funding for the Rapid Apophis flight safety mission (Ramses), which will attempt to track the asteroid as it flies by.
With Apophis rapidly approaching Earth, ESA will need to launch its new spacecraft in just four years to reach the asteroid in time.
But if they can master this difficult task, observing how Apophis reacts to Earth's gravity could reveal the secret to deflecting deadly asteroids.
When astronomers discovered that Apophis was heading straight toward Earth in 2004, The scientific community was understandably concerned.
Just 10 years ago, in 1994, scientists watched in awe as debris from Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 crashed into Jupiter with incredible force.
< p>In this regard, the unpleasant question arose about what humanity could do if Apophis collided with our planet in a similar way.
Fortunately, in 2021, Apophis was discovered to fly past Earth in 2029 and 2036, but for many this distance may be too close for comfort.
Apophis will pass Earth at a distance of only 20 000 miles (32,000 km), equivalent to one-tenth the distance from the Earth to the Moon.
At this distance, Apophis will be closer than geostationary communications satellites, and will be visible to the naked eye in clear, dark skies for approximately two billion people across much of Europe, Africa and parts of Asia.
Although this may seem daunting perspective, this is truly a fantastic opportunity for science, writes the Daily Mail.
Dr Patrick Michel, director of research at the French National Center for Scientific Research, said: «We still have a lot to learn about asteroids, but until now we have had to travel deep into the solar system to study them and carry out experiments ourselves to interact with their surface. This is the first time in history, nature brings this to us and itself conducts the experiment.»
At the closest moments of its passage, Apophis will be close enough to the Earth to begin to form under the influence of the strong gravitational attraction of the planet.
Dr Michel explains: «All we have to do is watch as Apophis is stretched and compressed by strong tidal forces, which can cause landslides and other disturbances and expose new material from below the surface.»
The Ramses spacecraft will attempt to rendezvous with Apophis before it reaches its closest point to Earth, and will follow it throughout its journey.
Then, using a suite of scientific instruments, Ramses will make the first-ever recordings of what happens to an asteroid as it passes by Earth. The spacecraft will conduct a detailed study of the asteroid's shape, surface, orbit, rotation, and orientation before and after.
It is important to note that by observing how they change throughout the flight, scientists will be able to learn how asteroids react to external influences. This knowledge will be key to any future missions aimed at deflecting dangerous asteroids from Earth's orbit, the Daily Mail emphasizes.
Richard Moysle, head of ESA's Planetary Defense Directorate, says: «A reconnaissance mission will first be launched to analyze the orbit and structure of the incoming asteroid. The findings will be used to determine the best way to redirect the asteroid or prevent it from colliding before an expensive deflector program is developed.» «.
Space agencies around the world are already exploring ways in which rocks entering space can be diverted from a dangerous course. In 2022, NASA's Dart mission slammed a spacecraft into the asteroid Dimorphos to see if the impact would move it.
Later this year, ESA's planetary defense mission Hera will launch to study the impact of the impact.
Ramses will not travel to Apophis alone, however, as a NASA mission is already on its way to the asteroid.
B Last year, the space agency's Osiris-Rex mission successfully recovered chunks of rock from the 4.6 billion-year-old asteroid Bennu.
Having completed its initial mission, NASA announced that the same spacecraft will now attempt to rendezvous with Apophis in 2029 under the new name Osiris-Apex.
Osiris-Apex will arrive at Apophis about a month after its flyby Earth, allowing scientists to study the impact of its flyby in more detail.
However, ESA says the data collected by Apophis is only part of how the mission will help better prepare humanity for threats from space.
< p>To get to Apophis before it reaches Earth, the ship would need to launch in just four years—an extremely tight schedule by space travel standards.
Simply sending a spacecraft quickly into space to learn more about an approaching asteroid could prove the difference between a catastrophe and a space rock moving through time.
Dr Moisle adds: “Ramses will demonstrate that humanity can direct a reconnaissance mission to approach an approaching asteroid in just a few years. These kinds of missions are the cornerstone of humanity's response to hazardous asteroids.»