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Space Safety
16/07/2024
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On 16 July 1994, the scientific community witnessed a significant event as the Shoemaker-Levy 9 comet impacted Jupiter, sparking interest in planetary defense strategies. This event raised questions about how to prevent such impacts on Earth.
ESA’s Space Safety program is taking a step forward in addressing these concerns by initiating preparations for its Rapid Apophis Mission for Space Safety (Ramses). Ramses will journey alongside the asteroid 99942 Apophis during its close approach to Earth in 2029, studying its characteristics influenced by Earth’s gravitational pull. This mission aims to enhance our ability to protect Earth from potential future threats.
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<h2 class="heading">Apophis</h2>
Apophis, a 375m-wide asteroid, will pass within 32,000 km of Earth on 13 April 2029, visible to the naked eye for billions of individuals across Europe, Africa, and parts of Asia. While there is no immediate threat of a collision, this event presents a rare scientific opportunity occurring once every 5000 to 10,000 years, attracting global attention and serving as a platform for scientific exploration and public engagement.</p> </div>
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Apophis orbit diverted by Earth's gravity - NEO Toolkit
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<h2 class="heading">Ramses</h2>
ESA's Ramses spacecraft will join Apophis during its flyby to observe the asteroid's transformation under Earth's gravitational influence. This observation will provide valuable insights into asteroid behavior and composition.
Statements from Patrick Michel, Director of Research at CNRS, emphasize the significance of this close encounter, offering a unique opportunity to study asteroid dynamics naturally.
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ESA's Ramses mission to asteroid Apophis
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To meet the 2029 flyby deadline, Ramses must launch in April 2028 to reach Apophis by February 2029. The mission's initiation has been granted to commence using existing resources. The final decision on the full mission commitment will be made at ESA's Ministerial Council Meeting in November 2025. Ramses will employ various scientific instruments to analyze Apophis' properties before and after the flyby, providing critical data on asteroid behavior and composition essential for planetary defense strategies and furthering our understanding of the Solar System's evolution.</p> </div>
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Radar observations of Apophis rule out future impact
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<p>NASA has redirected its OSIRIS-REx spacecraft for research purposes.The spacecraft formerly known as OSIRIS-APEX is now called Apophis and is set to reach the asteroid about a month after it passes by Earth. Scientists believe that the gravitational forces of Earth could change Apophis' rotation and potentially cause seismic activities and landslides. By having Ramses spacecraft in place before and after the flyby, researchers can closely observe any changes in Apophis and conduct further scientific investigations to understand the long-term effects.
The international collaboration between NASA’s DART asteroid impactor and ESA’s Hera asteroid detective has shown that redirecting an asteroid is possible in theory. However, in the event of a real threat, a rapid response is crucial. Richard Moissl, who leads ESA’s Planetary Defence Office, emphasizes the importance of deploying a reconnaissance mission quickly to assess an incoming asteroid’s trajectory and composition. This information is essential for determining the best strategy for deflecting the asteroid, if necessary.
Paolo Martino, the head of ESA’s Ramses project, highlights that the Ramses mission leverages technology and expertise developed for the Hera mission, demonstrating Europe’s ability to meet stringent deadlines in space missions.
A notable example of ESA’s success in this area is the Hera mission’s approach to the Didymos asteroids. The Ramses mission is expected to build on this achievement.
The source of this information can be found at this link.
