Content tagged "planetary defense".
5 items (5 articles, 0 stories)
In September 2022, NASA's DART probe slammed into the asteroid Dimorphos and shortened its orbit by 32 minutes. Now ESA's Hera is closing in on the same rock in November 2026 to check the results. SORABUMI explains why planetary defense needs a two-step approach.
On April 13, 2029, asteroid Apophis will pass just 32,000 km from Earth — closer than geostationary satellites. Up to 2 billion people could watch it move across the sky without a telescope. There's no collision risk, which is exactly why it's worth watching.
On April 13, 2029, asteroid Apophis will skim past Earth at just 32,000 km — closer than geostationary satellites. During this once-in-10,000-year flyby, Earth's gravity will physically reshape the rock in real time. ESA and JAXA's Ramses mission will be there to document it.
In 2022, NASA slammed a spacecraft into the asteroid Dimorphos and changed its orbit — the first time humanity had ever deflected a space rock. Now ESA's Hera mission is heading there to examine the aftermath. Here's how far planetary defense has come.
Using the naming of asteroid 'Torifune' as a starting point, we dig into what it means to give a name to a rock in space — IAU naming rules, the intersection of Japanese mythology and outer space, and the planetary defense mission driving Hayabusa2 forward.