Ramses mission to study 99942 Apophis when it passes closer to Earth than GPS and TV satellites in 2029
The Ramses mission will also explore the composition and internal structure of Apophis during the asteroid’s close encounter with Earth.The Ramses mission will also explore the composition and internal structure of Apophis during the asteroid’s close encounter with Earth.
“The flyby it does with Earth is absolutely unique,” said Dr Holger Krag, the head of the Esa’s space safety programme office, adding that no asteroid is expected to come as close for a few thousand years. “If the sky is clear, you should be able to see it with your naked eye.” Krag said the insights from Ramses would help scientists understand the asteroid, and the risk such space rocks pose. “Our goal in planetary defence is not to do science on asteroids, but it’s to characterise them in a way that one day we can deflect them when they become dangerous,” he said.
After its discovery in 2004, Apophis kept scientists up at night with concerns it might collide with Earth as it orbits the Sun. While Nasa ruled out an impact as Apophis approaches Earth in 2029 and 2036, it was only in 2021 that experts said a smash would Prof Alan Fitzsimmons of Queen’s University Belfast, who is on the science advisory team for Ramses, said the data collected by the Ramses mission could also help scientists extend the window for which they could predict potential collisions with Apophis for many hundreds of years. “Our descendants at the moment still have to worry about this thing,” he said.
The Nasa spacecraft Osiris-Apex hovers over the surface of the near-Earth asteroid Apophis, using its thrusters to disturb its surface to reveal what lies beneath.While Ramses will arrive at Apophis before its close encounter with Earth, Osiris-Apex is expected to arrive afterwards.
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