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[JACK AYLMER]
STOP ME IF YOU’VE HEARD THIS ONE BEFORE – AN ASTEROID IS BARRELLING TOWARDS EARTH AND IT’S UP TO A SPACE AGENCY TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT.
WHILE IT MIGHT SOUND LIKE THE PLOT OF ARMAGEDDON – THERE IS A REAL MISSION IN THE WORKS TO PROTECT EARTH FROM POTENTIALLY KILLER ASTEROIDS IN THE FUTURE.
LET ME EXPLAIN.
AN ASTEROID, NAMED ‘APOPHIS’ IS SET FOR A CLOSE ENCOUNTER WITH EARTH IN 20-29.
AND WHILE IT HAS NO CHANCE OF ACTUALLY COMING IN CONTACT WITH OUR PLANET – THE EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY PLANS TO TRACK IT.
THE PROJECT RAMSES” — PLANS TO HAVE AN UNMANNED SPACECRAFT RENDEZVOUS WITH THE ASTEROID TWO MONTHS BEFORE IT FLIES NEAR EARTH.
THE ASTEROID IS ABOUT AS WIDE AS THE EMPIRE STATE BUILD IS TALL. AND WILL BE ABOUT 20-THOUSAND MILES AWAY AT ITS CLOSEST POINT TO EARTH.
SCIENTISTS SAY AN OBJECT THIS LARGE ONLY FLOATS THIS CLOSE TO EARTH ONCE EVERY 75-HUNDRED YEARS.
SO, IN AN EFFORT TO STUDY IT – A SMALL VEHICLE WOULD BE DEPLOYED ONTO THE SURFACE OF THE MASSIVE SPACE ROCK.
BY DISCOVERING WHAT IT’S MADE UP OF– SCIENTISTS SAY THEY COULD GET A BETTER IDEA OF WHAT IT TAKES TO DESTROY OR CHANGE ITS TRAJECTORY.
THAT’S ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT WHEN YOU CONSIDER AN ASTEROID ON A COLLISION COURSE FOR EARTH.
THERE ARE JUST A COUPLE OF PROBLEMS WITH THE AGENCY’S PLANS.
THEY HAVEN’T SECURED FUNDING AND THE CLOCK IS TICKING TO BUILD THE SPACECRAFT WITH A TENTATIVE LAUNCH DATE OF APRIL 2028.
NASA ALSO PLANS TO STUDY APOPHIS BUT ONLY *AFTER IT PASSES BY EARTH.
THE AGENCY’S EFFORTS WILL INVOLVE ORBITING THE COSMIC OBJECT RATHER THAN LANDING ON IT.
FOR MORE ON UPDATES ON THE FATE OF THIS PROJECT– DOWNLOAD THE STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS APP OR VISIT SAN-DOT-COM.