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NASA-ESA Project Will Shoot an Asteroid To See What Happens

Posted by timothy on from the johnny-cash-with-a-bigger-budget dept.

astroengine writes What better way to understand how to deflect an incoming asteroid than to smash into one to see what happens? This may sound like the storyline to a certain science fiction movie involving a team of oil drillers, but this is science fact, and Europe has started planning a mission to map a small target asteroid that NASA will attempt to shoot with a speeding spacecraft, no nukes required. As the first half of the joint Asteroid Impact & Deflection Assessment mission, the European Space Agency this month has started planning for the launch of its Asteroid Impact Mission (AIM) in October 2020. AIM's target will be the binary asteroid system of Didymos, which is composed of a main 800 meter-wide hunk of space rock circled by a smaller 170 meter-wide asteroid informally known as "Didymoon." It's the smaller asteroid that the joint NASA/ESA mission is interested in bullying.

8 of 113 comments (clear)

  1. To see what happens... by Culture20 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Why am I imagining "hey, y'all, watch this!"?

    1. Re:To see what happens... by geeper · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Yes, it would be ironic if the asteroid that wiped out the human race was one we smashed into just to see what would happen.

      --
      Error reading device 'Signature'. (A)bort, (R)etry, (F)ail?
    2. Re:To see what happens... by ShanghaiBill · · Score: 4, Funny

      Yes, it would be ironic if the asteroid that wiped out the human race was one we smashed into just to see what would happen.

      ... or if it turns out that the "asteroid" is a camouflaged Vogon starship, and by attacking it, we trigger an interstellar war.

    3. Re: To see what happens... by Samantha+Wright · · Score: 4, Funny

      There's no point in acting all surprised about it. All the planning charts and demolition orders have been on display at your local planning department in Alpha Centauri for fifty of your Earth years, so you've had plenty of time to lodge any formal complaints, and it's far too late to start making a fuss about it now.

      What do you mean you've never been to Alpha Centauri? Oh, for heaven's sake, mankind, it's only four light years away, you know! I'm sorry, but if you can't be bothered to take an interest in local affairs, that's your own regard. Energise the demolition beams! God, I don't know⦠apathetic bloody planet, I've no sympathy at allâ¦

      --
      Bio questions? Ask me to start a Q&A journal. Computer analogies available for most topics!
  2. Re:Simulation by beelsebob · · Score: 4, Interesting

    How would you simulate it on a computer when you don't know the internal make up of the asteroid?

  3. The Bush Doctrine again by sandbagger · · Score: 3, Funny

    This unprovoked attack on an asteroid may end up being more trouble than it's worse. We could end up bogged down in an endless conflict with it.

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    ---- The above post was generated by the Turing Institute. Maybe.
  4. Re:Don't we already know? by bitingduck · · Score: 5, Insightful

    A single data point isn't all that useful with respect to understanding the mass and composition of asteroids. There are potentially a variety of asteroids around-- ranging from solid hunks of metal or rock to loose bunches held together by their very weak mutual gravitational attraction. A test would be useful for demonstrating the ability to intercept one, navigate to an appropriate place to push, and then push. Depending on how far out they catch it, a very low thrust, very efficient thruster pushing for a long time might be able to produce a useful amount of deflection.

  5. Too much D&D guys by CreatureComfort · · Score: 3, Funny

    "I cast magic missile at the darkness!"

    --
    "Unheard of means only it's undreamed of yet,
    Impossible means not yet done." ~~ Julia Ecklar