The BBC details a plan – as yet unfunded – by British space scientists for a probe that would meet and study an asteroid on its way to a very near miss with Earth in 2029.
The 984-foot space rock is dubbed Apophis, and sparked a minor panic a few years ago, when initial calculations showed it could be on a collision course with our planet. Subsequent refinements showed that it would pass close in both 2029 and 2036 – closer than some communications satellites, as the Beeb notes – but would most likely miss.
That hasn't diminished scientists' interest, however. The proposal from Britain-based Astrium, a private space services company, describes a small probe that would meet the asteroid seven years from now, track it for three, and send back detailed information about its size, spin, composition, temperature. This data would allow scientists to improve their future collision predictions.
The company is submitting the proposal to a Planetary Society contest offering a $50,000 prize for the best idea to "rendezvous with and
'tag'" Apophis – but officers told the BBC that they'd donate the prize money to charity if they won.
The full mission would cost several million dollars to develop and run.
According to the Planetary Society, more than 100 teams worldwide are developing plans for Apophis missions.
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory offers an animated view of Apophis's orbit, showing its near-miss meetings with Earth and Venus, on its site here.
BBC: UK plan to track asteroid threat
(Photo: NASA/JPL)
