Subscribe free to our newsletters via your
. 24/7 Space News .




IRON AND ICE
Asteroid impact mission targets Didymos
by Staff Writers
Paris (ESA) Feb 28, 2013


AIDA is a low-budget international effort that would send two small craft to intercept a double target. While one probe smashes into the smaller asteroid at around 6.25 km/s, the other records what happens.

ESA's proposed Asteroid Impact and Deflection Assessment mission now has a target: asteroid Didymos. The recent Russian meteor and, on the same day, our planet's close encounter with an even larger chunk of celestial debris underline the need for us to learn more about these high-speed space rocks.

For the last two years, ESA has been working with international partners on the mission concept, dubbed AIDA. Last week, research centres each side of the Atlantic agreed the spacecraft would target asteroid Didymos.

Currently under study, the mission would intercept Didymos around the time of the asteroid's closest approach to within 11 million km of Earth in 2022.

Didymos is a 'binary', with two asteroids orbiting each other - one is roughly 800 m across, the other about 150 m.

AIDA is a low-budget international effort that would send two small craft to intercept a double target. While one probe smashes into the smaller asteroid at around 6.25 km/s, the other records what happens.

One effect would be a change in the orbital ballet of the two objects. AIDA is not intended to show how we could deflect an asteroid that threatens Earth but it would be a first step.

The craft are conceived to be independent and could achieve most of their goals alone. The collider is the Double Asteroid Redirection Test, or DART, from the Johns Hopkins' Applied Physics Laboratory in the US. ESA's Asteroid Impact Monitor, or AIM, would survey Didymos in detail, before and after the collision.

Didymos poses no risk to our planet, but will come close enough to be observable by 1-2 m-diameter telescopes on Earth before and after the strike. AIM's close-up view would provide 'ground truth' and observe the impact dynamics as well as the resulting crater, allowing ground-based observations and models to be evaluated.

Earlier this month, ESA issued a call for scientists to propose experiments that could be carried on the mission or performed on the ground to increase its return.

"AIDA is not just an asteroid mission, it is also meant as a research platform open to all different mission users," says Andres Galvez, ESA studies manager.

"The project has value in many areas," agrees Andy Cheng, AIDA lead at Johns Hopkins' Applied Physics Laboratory, "from applied science and exploration to asteroid resource utilisation."

Researchers have until 15 March to express their interest. The experiment ideas can be anything that deals with hypervelocity impacts, planetary science, planetary defence, human exploration or innovation in spacecraft operations.

The energy released in the AIDA impact at several kilometres per second is similar to that of a large piece of space junk hitting a satellite. The mission would thus help to model severe spacecraft damage by space debris.

"It is an exciting opportunity to do world-leading research of all kinds on a problem that is out of this world," says Stephan Ulamec from the DLR German Aerospace Center. "And it helps us learn how to work together in international missions tackling the asteroid impact hazard."

"A mission such as this allows us to test technologies before any asteroid is identified as a threat," explains Patrick Michel, leader of the Planetology team at the Observatoire de la Cote d'Azur (OCA, Lagrange Laboratory) and a member of the Working Group on Near-Earth Objects of the International Astronomical Union.

"Understanding the physics of impacts is also key to planetary science and binary asteroid dynamics."

.


Related Links
Space Situational Awareness - NEO
Asteroid and Comet Mission News, Science and Technology






Comment on this article via your Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle








IRON AND ICE
India rocket launches asteroid-spotting satellite
Bangalore, India (AFP) Feb 25, 2013
India launched a rocket Monday carrying seven satellites into orbit, including a Canadian orbiter that will scan for asteroids that could be hurtling toward Earth. The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle blasted off from the Sriharikota rocket launch centre located on an island off the coast of the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. The launch, witnessed by Indian President President Pr ... read more


IRON AND ICE
Water On The Moon: It's Been There All Along

Building a lunar base with 3D printing

US, Europe team up for moon fly-by

Russia to Launch Lunar Mission in 2015

IRON AND ICE
Lab Instruments Inside Curiosity Eat Mars Rock Powder

First-ever space tourist plans mission to Mars

Mars rover ingests rock powder for tests

Opportunity Is On A Rock Hunt

IRON AND ICE
Stanford scientist closes in on a mystery that impedes space exploration

U.S. research to be free online

NASA Creates Space Technology Mission Directorate

Educator Teams Fly On NASA Sofia Airborne Observatory

IRON AND ICE
Welcome Aboard Shenzhou 10

Reshuffle for Tiangong

China to launch 20 spacecrafts in 2013

Mr Xi in Space

IRON AND ICE
Record Number of Students Control ISS Camera

NASA briefly loses contact with space station

Temporary Comm Loss Interrupts Crew's Day

Low-Gravity Flights Will Aid ISS Fluids and Combustion Experiments

IRON AND ICE
'Faulty Ukrainian Parts' Blamed for Zenit Launch Failure

The light-lift member of Arianespace's launcher family is readied for its second mission

SpaceX 2 Launch Set for March 1

NASA Releases Glory Taurus XL Launch Failure Report Summary

IRON AND ICE
Scientists spot birth of giant planet

NASA's Kepler Mission Discovers Tiny Planet System

Kepler helps astronomers find tiny exo planet

Searching for a Pale Blue SPHERE in the Universe

IRON AND ICE
Ancient Egyptian pigment points to new security ink technology

Laser mastery narrows down sources of superconductivity

In probing mysteries of glass, researchers find a key to toughness

Glasses.com turns heads with 3-D iPad app




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2014 - Space Media Network. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement