What’s OSIRIS-APEX?
OSIRIS-APEX is a mission to shadow Apophis, a large asteroid, simply after the rock barely avoids hitting Earth. If profitable, OSIRIS-APEX will take trendy humanity’s closest name with a serious asteroid and switch it into a possibility: an opportunity to higher perceive asteroids, study extra about how the Photo voltaic System shaped, and assist stop future impacts.
On April 13, 2029, the asteroid Apophis — which is about as tall because the Empire State Constructing and 3 times as huge and lengthy — will move nearer to Earth than the orbits of some satellites. If the asteroid hit Earth, the vitality of the collision can be roughly equal to 1,000 of probably the most highly effective nuclear bombs in america’ arsenal.
However Apophis received’t hit Earth. As an alternative, OSIRIS-APEX will watch from a distance because the asteroid flies by, then catch as much as research it in additional element. The spacecraft will map Apophis, monitor its trajectory, and finally fireplace thrusters to fire up its floor.
If this sounds acquainted, that’s as a result of OSIRIS-APEX is an extension of the OSIRIS-REx mission to review the asteroid Bennu and acquire rocks from its floor. After the probe efficiently despatched samples again to Earth in 2023, it nonetheless had gas left — so the mission charted a course for Apophis and was reborn below a brand new identify.
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