Spacecraft for protection from asteroids - the European Space Agency ESA is considering launching a "family" of five spacecraft for close research observations of asteroids that could endanger the planet
Dr. Noah Brosh
The European Space Agency, ESA, is considering launching a "family" of five spacecraft for close research observations of asteroids that could endanger the Earth.
The tiny spacecraft, weighing about 100 kg each, are supposed to fly near the asteroids they choose as targets, and transmit data to the country that will help plan the defense operation against possible damage to these rock blocks. If the plan is approved
And get started, the first research tools for this topic will finally be available to humanity - which may also lead to its salvation.
The dangers from space - of a giant meteor, asteroid, or comet, which may collide with the Earth - caused the mobilization of many scientists and military personnel, even those whose normal duties do not deal with space at all.
In Israel, the Space Agency (SAA) established a knowledge center at Tel Aviv University (website http://spaceguard.tau.ac.il). On behalf of the Knesset - one of the actions of the "Commissioner of Future Generations" - was to understand the issue and begin to address it at a level State.
Today, the European Space Agency is carrying out a program that is a first step towards the establishment of a global defense system against lethal impacts.
Reminder: 65 million years ago, many species of creatures, including the dinosaurs, became extinct due to one (or more) impact by space bodies that emerged from the depths of the universe and collided with the Earth.
One of the problems with the entire asteroid eradication plan - the one that could harm us - is the lack of knowledge about its exact mass and dimensions, its chemical composition, its mechanical strength, etc. The scientists do not know if it is a solid block of rock, or just a collection of stones of different sizes, held together by mutual attraction between them.
In the European program, five research spacecraft are supposed to be launched towards five near-Earth asteroids. The spacecraft will measure some of the sizes necessary for a successful interception. The program, named "Simone", was proposed by a group of scientists from the Open University in Great Britain and the technology group QuinetiQ. The spacecraft will photograph and conduct a spectroscopic study of the five asteroids.
Among the advantages of the Simona operation: its relatively low cost - only about 160 million euros for a visit to five targets, thanks to the joint launch of the spacecraft on the same rocket. Each spacecraft will be equipped with an ion engine, which will bring it to its destination. It will study the asteroid like an artificial satellite, for a long period of time.
Another operation currently being tested by the European Space Agency is the launch of a pair of spacecraft - one, named "Don Quixote" will collide with an asteroid with great force. The other, named "Sanshu Pensa" will arrive immediately following the first and watch the collision from afar. This way you will also collect fragments from the event that will fly into space. On that occasion, they will also check whether a very high-speed encounter between a spacecraft and an asteroid might cause a significant change in the asteroid's trajectory - so that if it could hit us, due to the momentum that would be transferred in the impact, it would cause it to "miss" the Earth.
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