Proposed Missions Could Deflect Space Rocks Like Asteroid Apophis

The ESA's Don Quijote mission upon impacting an asteroid (Credit: ESA - AOES Medialab).

An article on Space.com highlights two new studies for mission to deflect away asteroids in collision course with Earth. A Chinese study proposes using a spacecraft propelled by by solar sails. The other plan is a European Space Agency mission called Don Quijote, which would crash a spacecraft into an asteroid in an attempt to deflect it, while a second spacecraft would orbit the asteroid to measure its behavior.

A possible target is the asteroid known as Apophis, named after the Egyptian god of darkness because of fears that it might crash into Earth. Rsearchers noted that giving Apophis a tiny shove at a key moment in 2029 would help ensure that it would not approach Earth in 2036, the year that it is forecasted to come near.

Read the full story: http://www.space.com/12781-space-missions-deflect-dangerous-asteroids-apophis.html

Andrea Gini

Andrea Gini is a scientific journalist and a professional of the space industry, working as a contractor on ISS Payload Safety. He is the Editor-in-chief of the Space Safety Magazine. Andrea is also Chairman of the Information and Communication Committee of the International Association for Advancement in Space Safety (IAASS), publisher of the Space Safety Magazine, and he is responsible for the communication strategy of the association, Andrea holds a BSc and an MSc in computer science from the University of Milano, a Master in scientific journalism from the International School for Advanced Studies of Trieste and a MSc in Space Studies from the International Space University.

More Posts - Website