Friday the 13th\u00a0of April 2029 will be\u00a0our\u00a0lucky day.<\/p>\n
Apophis, a 375-metre-wide asteroid, will safely pass Earth at a distance of less than 32\u00a0000 kilometres.\u00a0For a\u00a0few hours,\u00a0Apophis will\u00a0be\u00a0closer than\u00a0satellites in geostationary orbit\u00a0and visible to the naked eye from Europe and Africa.<\/p>\n
Space agencies\u00a0have\u00a0sent a number of spacecraft to asteroids, but we have never had a\u00a0mission\u00a0at an asteroid as it sweeps past a planet.\u00a0This\u00a0grand\u00a0natural experiment offers a\u00a0unique\u00a0opportunity to\u00a0study\u00a0in real time\u00a0how an asteroid\u00a0responds\u00a0to a strong external force\u00a0\u2013 and the European Space Agency aims to have a front-row seat.<\/p>\n
To this end,\u00a0ESA\u2019s\u00a0Space Safety Programme\u00a0has proposed\u00a0the Rapid Apophis Mission for Space Safety (Ramses).\u00a0If approved,\u00a0Ramses would\u00a0launch\u00a0a year\u00a0ahead\u00a0of the\u00a0Apophis\u00a0flyby, travelling through space to rendezvous with the asteroid months before its encounter with Earth.<\/p>\n
Ramses\u00a0would\u00a0use\u00a0a\u00a0suite of\u00a0scientific instruments\u00a0to\u00a0measure\u00a0Apophis\u2019s size, shape, composition, rotation and trajectory\u00a0as it is pulled and stretched by\u00a0Earth\u2019s\u00a0gravity.\u00a0It wouldalso\u00a0deploy\u00a0two smaller spacecraft at the asteroid\u00a0to\u00a0study Apophis\u00a0up-close.<\/p>\n
Apophis poses no danger to Earth during\u00a0the\u00a0flyby, but an asteroid of this size passes\u00a0thisclose to our planet only once every\u00a0roughly\u00a0seven thousand years. By seizing this exceptionally rare opportunity to study an asteroid before, during, and after a planetary encounter, Ramses would\u00a0help us prepare for the day\u00a0that\u00a0we may need to deflect a hazardous object on a collision course with Earth.<\/p>\n
A cornerstone of the\u00a0Planetary Defence\u00a0segment of ESA\u2019s Space Safety Programme, Ramses\u00a0would\u00a0demonstrate Europe\u2019s\u00a0ability\u00a0to rapidly design, launch and operate\u00a0a\u00a0mission to\u00a0an\u00a0asteroid\u00a0of high importance.<\/p>\n
When the world looks up to see Apophis passing overhead, Ramses\u00a0could\u00a0be flying alongside,\u00a0uncovering\u00a0the secrets of the\u00a0Solar System\u2019s ancient building blocks, and\u00a0helping us learn\u00a0how\u00a0to protect our planet from any that come too close for comfort.<\/p>\n
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