#NASA launches ‘Armageddon’ spacecraft to crash into asteroid

#NASA launches ‘Armageddon’ spacecraft to crash into asteroid

“#NASA launches ‘Armageddon’ spacecraft to crash into asteroid” NASA has launched the world’s first “full-scale mission” to test asteroid-deflecting technology in hopes of protecting Earth from potential “Armageddon.” The space agency said in a statement the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) lifted off late Tuesday atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from the Vanderberg Space…

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#Chinese researchers propose deflecting asteroids with rockets

#Chinese researchers propose deflecting asteroids with rockets

“#Chinese researchers propose deflecting asteroids with rockets” BEIJING — Chinese researchers want to send more than 20 of China’s largest rockets to practice turning away a sizable asteroid — a technique that may eventually be crucial if a killer rock is on a collision course with Earth. The idea is more than science fiction. Sometime between late 2021 and early…

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#NASA spacecraft heading back to Earth after retrieving asteroid sample

#NASA spacecraft heading back to Earth after retrieving asteroid sample

“#NASA spacecraft heading back to Earth after retrieving asteroid sample” NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft on Monday began its long journey back to Earth after collecting a sample from the asteroid Bennu. The Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security, Regolith Explorer was NASA’s first spacecraft to visit an asteroid near Earth to bring back a sampling for scientists. …

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#Europe starts tests for automated asteroid spotters

#Europe starts tests for automated asteroid spotters

“#Europe starts tests for automated asteroid spotters” BERLIN — Scientists said Tuesday they have switched on a new telescope at the European Southern Observatory as part of an effort to create an automated network for spotting asteroids that might pose a risk to Earth. The 56-centimeter telescope that’s now seen “first light” at the La…

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#Earth safe from asteroid for 100 years says NASA

#Earth safe from asteroid for 100 years says NASA

“#Earth safe from asteroid for 100 years says NASA” Whew, now here’s some good cosmic news: NASA has given Earth the all clear for the next century from a particularly menacing asteroid. The space agency announced this week that new telescope observations have ruled out any chance of Apophis smacking Earth in 2068. That’s the…

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