For comparison, the distance between the earth and the moon is about 385,000 kilometers. Therefore, even though due to its size and proximity to Earth, the meteor is categorized as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA) but it will not pose a threat to Earth.
Quoted from The Jerusalem Post Monday (8/11) if 4660 Nereus hit the earth then the impact would be devastating. But what makes Nereus special from other asteroids is not its size or the possible impact it has but its potential to be explored.
As an Apollo class asteroid, Nereus’ orbit often places it close to Earth. In fact, its orbital resonance is approximately 2:1, meaning that the asteroid enters twice each Earth orbit. So the exploration mission is very possible.
The scientists hypothesized that the difficulty or delta-v of the exploratory mission on Nereus was about 5 kilometers per second. Delta-v is a measurement of various values and factors to determine the difficulty of the spacecraft in maneuvering during landing and taking off from an asteroid.
This is important because delta-v to the moon is about 6 kilometers per second. In 2000 NASA placed Nereus as one of the lowest near-Earth space objects in delta-v.
Because delta-v can be used to predict the budget because it will determine how much power and launcher is needed for a space exploration mission. The lower delta-v the lower the budget and the easier the mission.
Previously, three countries had landed on an asteroid. Many value asteroids as a future mining resource. Because asteroids can be mineral-rich raw materials.
Nereus is no exception, which from its spectral type indicates that it contains cobalt, nickel and iron. Although the potential is great, many are still worried about asteroids flying near the earth. Because the impact can be huge and humans don’t have the means to counteract it.
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