Near-Earth object

Asteroid 99942 Apophis is fast approaching our home planet for an uncomfortably close encounter in 2029. In order to prepare for the rare event, NASA is calling for ideas for low cost missions to rendezvous with Apophis, but the space agency already has a pair of asteroid probes ready to take on the task.This is the Coolest Galaxy S24 AI Feature That Few Are Talking AboutNASA is hosting a workshop on Wednesday, February 7 “on innovative approaches to conduct missions during the Earth flyby of the asteroid Apophis in…

The aluminum canister containing bits of an ancient space rock has finally been opened, revealing the bulk of the asteroid Bennu sample in all its glory. Alex Winter on His Character in Destroy All Neighbors Earlier this month, NASA’s OSIRIS-REx team managed to crack open the TAGSAM (Touch-and-Go Sample Acquisition Mechanism) head after developing new tools to deal with two stuck fasteners that stood in the way of the asteroid sample. With the sampler head finally open, NASA revealed the remainder of the unseen…

After months of fidgeting with a canister that contained rocky samples from an ancient asteroid, NASA engineers have finally removed two stubborn fasteners that appeared to be preventing the space agency from collecting the full amount of Bennu’s debris.Would Peter Capaldi Return to Doctor Who?The OSIRIS-REx curation team managed to remove the TAGSAM (Touch-and-Go Sample Acquisition Mechanism) head, where the bulk of the asteroid sample is stored, NASA announced in a blog post on Thursday. The team was forced to develop…

A diligent surveyor of the night skies, NEOWISE is sadly approaching its fiery demise as the Sun’s erratic outbursts are causing the infrared telescope to gradually fall out of its orbit before it eventually burns up in Earth’s atmosphere.First Full-Color Images From Webb Space TelescopeNASA’s NEOWISE, or Near-Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, will be rendered unusable in early 2025 due to increased solar activity, the space agency announced. The telescope’s orbit is expected to gradually lower over time.…

In September, fragments of a near-Earth asteroid were carefully dropped off in the Utah desert. The space rocks hold clues to the origin of the solar system and can possibly answer crucial questions about how our planet came to be, if only we can get to them first.Google’s AI Isn’t a Gimmick, It’s the Future | AI UnlockedSince it landed on Earth, NASA has been struggling to open the canister containing rocks and dust collected from asteroid Bennu. The space agency now anticipates that the asteroid sample canister will be…

The prominent astrophysicist and musician Brian May is co-authoring a three-dimensional atlas of the near-Earth asteroid Bennu, an 85-million-ton hunk of rock orbiting the Sun.Inspiration Behind Immortal Longings | io9 InterviewMay is co-authoring the book with Dante Lauretta, a planetary scientist at the University of Arizona and the principal investigator of NASA and the university’s OSIRIS-REx mission. May is also part of the mission team.OSIRIS-REx saw a small spacecraft arrive at Bennu in 2018 and extract a sample of…

After landing on an asteroid nearly three years ago to scoop up a sample from its rocky surface, the OSIRIS-REx mission is finally in the homestretch. NASA is preparing for the special delivery of the rocky sample next month and the agency just pulled off the most realistic rehearsal for the big day.Inspiration Behind Immortal Longings | io9 InterviewFrom July 18 to 20, the team behind the mission practiced the recovery of a mock sample return capsule at the Department of Defense’s Utah Test and Training Range, the same…

A majority of asteroids can be found in the region of space situated between the orbits of Jupiter and Mars. These celestial bodies follow elliptical paths around the Sun, exhibiting irregular movements and rotations. Their orbits can be influenced by the gravitational force of Jupiter and occasional close encounters with other celestial objects. Resultantly, they may be ejected from the main asteroid belt and redirected onto diverse orbits. Now, NASA reports that one of these monster rocks from the asteroid belt is…

A new celestial visitor is set to wander into the close proximity of the Earth very soon! It is a giant 150-foot asteroid that has been tracked by the technological instruments deployed by space agencies. Is it dangerous? The United Nations report says that an asteroid that is responsible for the Tunguska event on 30 June 1908 is said to have been some 60 metres in diameter So, do only large asteroids pose a threat to Earth? This misconception has been cleared by a UN report, which explained, by taking the example of a…

An asteroid can be a serious threat to Earth. In fact, it can be a catastrophic event based on how big it is. Therefore, it is urgent and necessary to tackle the threat posed by asteroids that may crash into our planet and this can be done by finding ways to alter the asteroid's orbit and make it move away from Earth. NASA has tried that by crashing a spacecraft against an asteroid and successfully moved it from its orbit. Now, a company has come up with an ingenious solution.A California-based nonprofit organization is…