A NASA spacecraft that recently returned from a mission to the asteroid Bennu was relaunched to study another asteroid approaching Earth’s orbit, Apophis, named after the Egyptian god of chaos. The space rock is expected to pass within 32,000 kilometers of the Earth’s surface on April 13, 2029.
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On December 22, NASA announced that it had relaunched the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft to study the 370-meter-diameter asteroid Apophis, which is approaching Earth’s orbit.
In Egyptian mythology, Apophis is a god in the form of a serpent, the embodiment of darkness and disorder who seeks to eradicate the world. Thankfully, the eponymous asteroid has no such intentions.
Like Earth, Apophis revolves around the Sun and sometimes comes close to making contact with Earth. On April 13, 2029, a 40 million to 50 million ton asteroid is expected to come within 32,000 kilometers of Earth, closer than some artificial satellites and the first time in recorded history. This has never happened before.
Five years from now, weather permitting, Apophis’ passage could be visible to the naked eye across Asia, the Indian Ocean, Australia, much of Africa and Europe, and parts of the Pacific Ocean.
Old spaceship, new mission
After a seven-year journey to the asteroid Bennu, Osiris-Rex returned to Earth in September. After completing her 4 billion kilometer journey, her spaceship still had a quarter of fuel left, so she set off to intercept Apophis.
Several other destinations were considered, including Venus, but the voyage to Apophis won out. For the new mission, this spacecraft was renamed her OSIRIS-APEX (Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security – Apophis Explorer).
The mission will cost an estimated $200 million, according to NASA.
Apophis is an “S-type” asteroid composed of silicate and nickel-iron materials, distinguishing it from carbon-rich “C-type” asteroids like Bennu.
As the asteroid approaches Earth, OSIRIS-APEX will get within 25 meters of Apophis’ surface and extract as much information as possible. Of particular interest to scientists is “how the surface changes as it interacts with Earth’s gravity,” said Amy Simon, principal investigator at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, who announced the mission. said in a NASA press release.
When asteroids come into contact with Earth’s gravitational field, they can trigger earthquakes and landslides, stirring up material. “Apophis’ approach to Earth will change the asteroid’s orbit and the length of its 30.6-hour day,” NASA said.
“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, principal investigator of the OSIRIS-APEX mission at the University of Arizona.・Mendoza de la Justina said. “They could reveal how we evolved from the remains of an early solar system to a full-fledged planet.”
The most known potentially dangerous asteroids (whose orbits approach within 4.6 million kilometers of Earth) are type S, but Apophis’ proximity to Earth makes it one of NASA’s top priorities for the organization. You can research planetary defense.
The possibility of a collision with Earth is ruled out
The discovery of Apophis at Arizona’s Kitt Peak Observatory in 2004 caused concern and still fuels theories about a possible collision with Earth. “Apophis is coming, that’s why they’re building bunkers.” Read posts from users on X.
In the early stages of discovery, the asteroid was classified as Level 4, the highest on the Turin scale (used to classify the risk of impact from near-Earth objects such as asteroids and comets on a scale of 0 to 10). Ta. -Previous classification.
But in December 2004, just a few months after the asteroid’s discovery, updated modeling showed that the chance of a collision with Earth was almost zero.
Moreover, in June 2021, Apophis passed 17 million kilometers from Earth, which allowed NASA to adjust its calculations and definitively rule out the possibility of a collision.
NASA rejects ‘Don’t Look Up’ scenario and officially removes Apophis from program Close approach to Earth list.
After the asteroid passes, OSIRIS-APEX will operate near the asteroid for 18 months to study changes induced in Aoffice by its approach to Earth.
This article has been translated from the French original.