NASA, September 26, 7:14 pm Dart Spacecraft Collision Check
Element of investigation to stop an asteroid effect
[아시아경제 김봉수 기자] “Saving humanity from the ‘sixth mass extinction’.” Humanity’s first Planetary Defense take a look at is just about a thirty day period absent.
In accordance to the Countrywide Aeronautics and Place Administration (NASA) on the 23rd (regional time), the Dart spacecraft released final year by NASA will collide with the goal asteroid Dimorphus at 7:14 pm on the 26th of the thirty day period future. NASA strategies to broadcast the system are living as a result of its tv channels, internet websites, and social media accounts starting up at 6 pm on the similar working day, about an hour in advance of the crash.
On November 23, final 12 months, NASA launched the Dart spacecraft at a total expense of $ 325 million (about 400 billion gained). This is a preliminary review to put together for the achievable collision with Earth of billions of asteroids in the solar program. Its main goal is to collect info by colliding a spacecraft with an asteroid and observing if the program improvements. The Dart spacecraft, which is the size of a compact car, has traveled about 11 million km in the very last 10 months considering that launch and is now shut to the twin asteroid Didymos-Dimorphos. A month later on, it deliberately collides with the binary satellite Dimorphus (160 m in diameter). A little satellite from the Italian area company launched jointly data the entire method. The European House Company (ESA) will start the Hera probe in 2024 to examine the impact of the collision, specifically whether or not the mass and orbit of the Dimorphus satellite adjustments. Observations are also carried out by way of astronomical telescopes on the ground.
These experiments are aspect of a research to stop asteroids that have a high threat of impacting the Earth. Asteroid impacts were being a person of the principal causes of five mass extinctions in Earth’s 4.6 billion year record. In particular, a big asteroid extra than 10 km in diameter, approximated to have landed on Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula about 65 million yrs in the past, wiped out the dinosaurs that dominated the earth at the time. Even just lately, the destruction and fear of asteroids is continue to there. In 1908, a 50-meter asteroid fell into Russia, leading to huge problems with a shock wave equal to the power of 15 atomic bombs. About 23,000 Earth-orbiting asteroids have been recognized. Between them, it is estimated that there are additional than 2,000 asteroids that could threaten the Earth.
In specific, the four asteroids, Apophis, Bennu (101955 Bennu), 1950DA, and 2007FT3, have a fairly large likelihood of collision and are feared when they method Earth. In the situation of Apophis, NASA just lately introduced that its orbit has turn out to be irregular, creating it unlikely that it will collide with Earth within the upcoming 100 a long time. Apophis is anticipated to strategy as considerably as 37,000 km from Earth in April 2029. Bennu will come near to Earth in 2182, with a chance of 1 in 2700. Centered on the results of this experiment, NASA programs ‘Hammer’ spacecraft task to adjust Bennu’s program. In addition, in 2026, the ‘Nio Surveyor’ place telescope, which can keep track of up to two-thirds of compact asteroids in just 48 million km of Earth, is due to be released.
Researchers are continuing investigate into destroying or altering the orbit of an approaching Earth asteroid utilizing nuclear bombs or steel rods if there is a superior danger of an actual collision. The Johns Hopkins College Utilized Physics Laboratory in the United States printed the results of a simulation experiment which confirmed that when a 100 meter prolonged asteroid was detonated with a 1-megaton course nuclear bomb, it disintegrated and 99.9% of the time managed to escape the Earth. A research crew at the University of California is also investigating engineering to wipe out asteroids with shock waves by firing a missile with a metallic rod like Korea’s Hyunmoo 4 (Bunker Buster) missile. In 2016, Russian researchers regarded a undertaking to ruin the Apophis asteroid with an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), but it was canceled due to fears about adverse outcomes on Earth.
The United States will acquire deep place navigation technological innovation and test innovative solar power generation technological know-how via the 400 billion received Dart project, when also testing reducing-edge Xenon propulsion technological know-how.
Meanwhile, China also announced programs to implement the asteroid impression challenge before this 12 months, saying it would appear up with its personal ‘Earth Defense’ strategy. At the Countrywide Room Working day event in April, China’s Nationwide Aeronautics and Place Administration introduced that it would carry out such an experiment among 2025 and 26, and that it would also create an asteroid early warning process.
By Kim Bong-soo, personnel reporter bskim@asiae.co.kr
