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when Huge asteroid passes very fast near Earth In a few years — at a distance 10 times closer than the Moon — a space mission will be ready to greet the big rock and send it on its way.
The European Space Agency announced Tuesday that a spacecraft called Ramses is preparing to “rendezvous” with a cruise ship-sized asteroid that is expected to pass just 19,900 miles from Earth in 2029. Scientists said such an asteroid-sized approach to Earth is extremely rare and likely won’t happen again for another 5,000 to 10,000 years.
Scientists have ruled out the possibility of asteroid Apophis hitting Earth during its “very close pass.” But researchers have warned that more dangerous encounters with asteroids could be in the offing. The European Space Agency said the goal of the Ramses mission is to gather data about the massive asteroid, to help us understand how to defend our planet in the future.
“The researchers will study the asteroid in light of the effect of Earth's gravity on its physical properties. Their findings will improve our ability to defend our planet from any similar object that might collide with it in the future,” the agency said.
Very rare massive asteroid
Scientists say the massive asteroid Apophis, named after the ancient Egyptian god of chaos, is about a quarter-mile long and will be visible to the naked eye from Earth when it passes by in April 2029.
The Ramses spacecraft, which should launch a year ahead of schedule, will meet Apophis before it passes Earth and accompany it on its way out of our orbit. During that time, the mission will monitor how the asteroid’s surface changes due to its close proximity to Earth, said Patrick Michel, research director at France’s National Center for Scientific Research.
“All we need to do is watch Apophis as it stretches and compresses with powerful tidal forces that could trigger landslides and other disturbances and expose new material from beneath the surface,” Michel said.
The European Space Agency said Apophis will be visible in clear night skies across much of Europe, Africa and parts of Asia, but will “capture the attention of the world” in April 2029.
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