A NASA spacecraft that recently returned from deep space has been relaunched for a mission to study the “God of Chaos” asteroid as it begins to approach Earth’s orbit.
The agency’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft, now called OSIRIS-APEX, has been sent to study Earth’s extremely close flyby of the asteroid Apophis in 2029, something the likes of which “have not happened since the dawn of recorded history,” he said. The NASA. Announced.
The spacecraft returned to Earth in September after spending seven years collecting samples of the Bennu space rock.
Apophis, also known as the “God of Chaos,” is expected to pass by Earth on April 13, 2029 from approximately just 20,000 miles away, closer than some artificial satellites and could even be visible in the Eastern Hemisphere.
The rock, which measures around 370 meters wide, only comes this close to Earth every 7,500 years.
The space company’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft, now called OSIRIS-APEX, returned to Earth in September after spending seven years collecting samples of the Bennu space rock. via REUTERS The rock, which measures about 370 yards wide, only comes this close to Earth every 7,500 years. NASA/JPL-Caltech
Earth’s gravity will affect the space rock as it approaches its orbit, and OSIRIS-APEX will study the consequences to see “how its surface changes,” according to Amy Simon, project scientist for the mission.
Earth’s effects are expected to change the asteroid’s day length, which is currently about 30.6 hours a day. It could also cause the “God of Chaos” to experience landslides and earthquakes.
“We know that tidal forces and the accumulation of debris material are fundamental processes that could play a role in planet formation,” Dani Mendoza DellaGiustina, OSIRIS-APEX principal investigator at the University of Arizona in Tucson, said in a statement. .
“They could inform how we went from the debris of the early solar system to full-fledged planets.”
The spacecraft will encounter the S-type asteroid on April 13, 2029, but will not land on its surface, but rather “operate near” it for 18 months. It will not only observe changes on the surface, but also map the surface and analyze the chemical composition of the rock, NASA said.
Apophis, imaged in 2021, is still five years from Earth, but when it arrives in April 2029, it will come within 20,000 miles of Earth’s surface. NASA/JPL-Caltech and NSF/AUI/GBO
It will also get within 16 feet of the rock’s surface so it can fire its thrusters downward and see what’s stirring, allowing scientists to “take a look at the material beneath.”
Although the rock is still five years away from approaching Earth, scientists will be watching it as it approaches its first of six close passes of the Sun.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn