NASA has restarted a mission to study the God of Chaos asteroid as it begins to approach Earth’s orbit.
The spacecraft, which recently returned from deep space, was returned by NASA to conduct three studies.
NASA’s Osiris-Rex spacecraft (named OSIRIS-APEX) was sent to study a close encounter with the asteroid Apophis in 2029, something that NASA says has “never happened before in recorded history.” announced.
The spacecraft returned to Earth in September after collecting samples from the space rock Bennu for seven years.
Apophis, also known as the “God of Chaos,” may fly close to Earth on April 13, 2029, at a distance of just 20,000 miles, which is closer than some satellites and in the eastern hemisphere. You can see it in .
This space rock is about 370 yards in diameter and approaches Earth every 7,500 years.
According to Amy Simon, the mission’s project scientist, Earth’s gravity affects space rocks as they approach orbit, and OSIRIS-APEX will be able to understand the aftermath and determine “how its surface changes. ” is said to be confirmed.
Earth changes the length of an asteroid’s day
Earth’s influence could change the length of the asteroid’s day, which is currently about 30.6 hours per day. There is also a possibility that landslides and earthquakes will occur to the “God of Chaos”.
“We know that tidal forces and the accumulation of debris pile material are fundamental processes that may play a role in planet formation,” said Dani Mendoza, principal investigator at OSIRIS-APEX at the University of Arizona, Tucson.・Mr. De La Justina said in a statement.
“They may be able to learn how we got from the debris of our early solar system to full-fledged planets,” DellaGiustina added. The spacecraft will encounter the S-type asteroid on April 13, 2029, but will not touch down on its surface and will “operate in close proximity” to the asteroid for the next 18 months.
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In addition to observing surface changes, the rover will map the surface and analyze the chemical composition of the rocks, NASA said.
The rover will also come within 16 feet of the rock’s surface and fire its thrusters downward to see what stirred up the rock, giving scientists a “peer into the material beneath.” I plan to.
It will still be five years before the rock approaches Earth, but scientists will continue to track it until it reaches the sun on its first of six passes.
(Information provided by agency)