Novina Putri Bestari, CNBC Indonesia
Tech
Friday, 12/29/2023 14:55 IWST
Photo: Asteroid Apophis discovered on June 19, 2004. (UH/IA via NASA)
Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – NASA announced its latest mission to research asteroids approaching Earth. This time the target is an asteroid called Apophis, nicknamed the God of Chaos, which will pass near Earth in 2029.
This new mission was carried out after the OSIRIS-REx aircraft completed its task of collecting samples from another asteroid Bennu last September. The plane traveled for seven years.
The name of the aircraft was changed for its latest mission, to OSIRIS-APEX (Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security – Apophis Explorer).
The asteroid, which was first discovered in 2004, will pass Earth at a distance of 32 thousand miles (around 51,500 km) on April 13 2029. There will be no collision at that time, but its orbit will change as it approaches Earth.
Apart from the orbit and length of the day, Apophis will also experience events such as earthquakes and landslides. Both will expose the material below the surface.
“OSIRIS-APEX will study Apophis immediately after the pass, allowing us to see how the surface changes as it interacts with Earth’s gravity,” said the mission’s project scientist, Amy Simon, as quoted by Fox NewsFriday (29/12/2023).
OSIRIS-APEX will start taking pictures two weeks before it passes Earth or around late March to early April 2029. The aircraft will arrive at the asteroid on April 13, 2029.
The next task is to live with Apophis for 1.5 years. At that time, changes to the asteroid will be studied after it approaches Earth.
OSIRIS-APEX will not make contact with Apophis during the mission. This is different from what OSIRIS-REx did on Bennu.
Later, the plane will only fly 16 feet from Apophis. The OSIRIS-APEX thruster will be released to stir up rocks and dust so you can see what’s on the surface.
Watch the video below:
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2023-12-29 07:55:00
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