Asteroids - Space Axiom

NASA's Radar System Recorded Two Near-Earth Asteroids

These observations were made using the Goldstone Solar System Radar. The radar system transmits radio waves to the asteroids and captures the reflected signals, enabling scientists to analyze their orbits, shapes, and surface details.

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NASA's Psyche Mission Fires Up Its Futuristic Thrusters En Route to an Asteroid

Unlike conventional rocket thrusters that deliver short bursts of high power, Psyche's thrusters provide a gentle, continuous push, allowing the spacecraft to increase its speed gradually over time without the need for large fuel reserves.

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NASA's Asteroid Test Could Lead to Future Collisions with Mars

The DART mission, originally intended to alter the orbit of the asteroid Dimorphos as a test for planetary defense, successfully modified its trajectory but also dislodged several large boulders.

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Asteroid Apophis to Make Close Earth Approach in 2029 Without Risk of Impact

Despite no longer being a collision threat, Apophis remains a point of interest due to its close approach, providing astronomers with a rare opportunity to study such a large asteroid up close.

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Astronomers Discover Water Molecules on the Surface of Asteroids for the First Time

Using data from NASA's Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, researchers have identified molecular water on two silicate-rich asteroids, Iris and Massalia, shedding new light on the distribution of water in our solar system.

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Asteroid Bennu's Samples Suggest its Ancient Oceanic Origins

The samples from Bennu, containing a significant amount of water trapped in minerals, along with rich deposits of carbon, nitrogen, sulfur, and phosphorus, have astounded scientists.

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NASA Successfully Opens Container Holding Asteroid Dust After Months of Effort

The container, which touched down in Utah in September of the previous year, couldn't be accessed immediately due to two stubbornly stuck bolts out of the 35 fasteners securing the lid.

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NASA's Lucy Probe Discovers Surprise Contact Binary at Dinkinesh

Contact binary systems, where two smaller objects are in contact with each other, are not uncommon in the solar system. However, it's a rare occurrence to find one of these systems orbiting another asteroid.

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NASA's Lucy Mission Discovers a Surprise Asteroid During Dinkinesh Flyby

The encounter primarily served as an in-flight test of Lucy's tracking system, designed to autonomously track asteroids as the spacecraft zooms past at speeds of up to 10,000 mph. Despite Dinkinesh's small size, the system performed admirably.

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NASA's Psyche Mission Embarks on a Journey to a Mysterious Metal Asteroid

NASA's Psyche mission represents a giant leap in planetary exploration, providing a rare opportunity to delve into the heart of a metallic world, potentially revealing crucial clues about the early history of our solar system.

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NASA Reveals Rich Carbon and Water Content in Bennu Asteroid Samples

The study of Bennu's samples will provide invaluable insights into the origins of our solar system, the possibility of life's beginnings, and the threats posed by asteroids that could potentially impact Earth.

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NASA Successfully Lands Samples of Asteroid Bennu on Earth

This remarkable achievement promises groundbreaking scientific insights into the origins of our solar system, the emergence of life on Earth, and the potential hazards posed by asteroids.

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NASA Calculates Potential Earth Impact Date for Asteroid Bennu

Thankfully, the likelihood of such an event is estimated at around 1 in 2,700, according to a 2021 study. However, NASA remains vigilant, given the catastrophic consequences if it were to occur.

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NASA's OSIRIS-REx Mission Returns Samples From the Bennu Asteroid This Week

The return of these samples is eagerly awaited by the scientific community, as they promise critical insights into the early solar system's formation and the origins of life. These findings could also enhance our understanding of potential asteroid threats to Earth.

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NASA to Send Its Psyche Mission to a Golden Asteroid Worth $10,000 Quadrillion

Scheduled for launch on October 5, 2023, atop a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket, the Psyche spacecraft will provide planetary scientists with an unprecedented opportunity to study an iron core similar to the Earth's center.

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Hubble Space Telescope Captures Aftermath of NASA's DART Asteroid Impact

The newly released movie begins roughly 1.3 hours before the DART impact, then shows the system of two asteroids two hours after the event, with debris moving at speeds fast enough to overcome the gravitational pull of the asteroid system.

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Astronomers Discover a Huge Planet Killer Asteroid

Over time, the movement of this asteroid will sync with that of the Earth, and it will cross much closer by, but it will happen centuries into the future. Any asteroid over 1km in size is considered a planet killer and enough to trigger a mass extinction event on Earth.

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NASA's DART Spacecraft Successfully Changed the Orbit of an Asteroid

The goal of DART was to change the orbit of Dimorphos around the larger asteroid by at least 73 seconds, although scientists had hoped the effect would be more like 10 minutes. This minimum benchmark has been exceeded by more than 25 times.

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Two Large Asteroids Will Fly Past Earth This Weekend

Two large asteroids the size of a multi-story building will brush past our planet later this week. According to NASA, the space bodies will approach the Earth on July 29 and 30.

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Amateur Scientists Discovered More Than 1,000 New Asteroids

For the project, 11,482 citizen science volunteers have processed thousands of images taken by different cameras of the Hubble telescope from 2002 to 2021.

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China Announced Plans for an Asteroid-Deflecting Mission

China plans to launch a mission to alter the trajectory of a potentially dangerous asteroid. The test launch is scheduled for 2025-2026 as part of a larger all-planetary defense program.