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Asteroid deflection technologies

Asteroid deflection technologies are methods and strategies developed to prevent potential impacts of asteroids with Earth. These technologies aim to alter the trajectory of an asteroid to ensure it does not collide with our planet Following the success of NASA's DART (Double Asteroid Redirection Test) mission, discussions about planetary defense and asteroid deflection strategies are increasingly prominent. Here are some principal methods and how they work: 1. Kinetic Impactor:    - How It Works: This method involves sending a spacecraft to collide with an asteroid at high speed. The impact changes the asteroid's velocity and trajectory, ideally enough to avoid a collision with Earth.    - Example: NASA's DART (Double Asteroid Redirection Test) mission successfully demonstrated this technique by impacting the moonlet Dimorphos in 2022. 2. Gravity Tractor:    - How It Works: A spacecraft positioned near an asteroid uses its gravitational pull to...

What happened before, during and after solar system formation? A recent study of the Asteroid Ryugu holds the answers

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Hayabusa2 mission returned uncontaminated primitive asteroid samples to Earth. A comprehensive analysis of 16 particles from the asteroid Ryugu revealed many insights into the processes that operated before, during and after the formation of the solar system, with some still shaping the surface of the present-day asteroid. Elemental and isotopic data revealed that Ryugu contains the most primitive pre-solar nebular (an ancient disk of gas and dust surrounding what would become the Sun) material yet identified and that some organic materials may have been inherited from before the solar system formed.

from Space & Time News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/HKrxUhO

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