Scientists estimate that asteroids the size of Apophis, about 367 yards across, come this close to Earth only once every 7,500 years. Asteroid Apophis will make an exceptionally close approach to our planet on April 13, 2029. Although Apophis will not collide with Earth during this approach or in the foreseeable future, its passage in 2029 will be within 32,000 kilometers of Earth. At this point, it will be closer than some satellites and can be seen with the naked eye in Earth’s eastern hemisphere. Although the encounter with Apophis is more than five years away, the next milestone on its path will be the first of six close transits of the Sun.
Astronomers have assessed the likelihood of a collision between the Apophis asteroid and the Earth: the Apophis asteroid, which, according to calculations, will approach the Earth at a record close distance in the spring of 2029, does not pose a danger to our planet and there is no need to fear a collision, the head of the department said in an interview with Moscow 24 physics and evolution of stars of the Institute of Astronomy of the Russian Academy of Sciences Dmitry Vibe. According to him, the very message that Apophis will pass at a certain distance from the planet already indicates that there will be no collision.
It is expected that an asteroid with a diameter of approximately 400 m will fly by on April 13, 2029 at a distance of 32 thousand km from Earth. This is below geostationary orbit, so there is a hypothetical possibility of Apophis colliding with one of the artificial satellites. At its closest approach, the space alien will be visible in the night sky with the naked eye; the brightness of the object will be comparable to the stars of Ursa Minor. It is noted: flying past the Earth, Apophis will be subject to gravitational influence from our planet. How much this will affect its further trajectory can be judged immediately after approach.
Earlier, Nikolai Zheleznov, a senior researcher at the Institute of Applied Astronomy (IPA) of the Russian Academy of Sciences, said that even if Apophis crashes into our planet, it will not cause a global catastrophe. At the same time, according to the scientist, the collision could destroy an area comparable to any region of Russia.
“OSIRIS-APEX will study Apophis immediately after its flyby of Earth, allowing us to see how its surface changes as it interacts with Earth’s gravity,” said Amy Simon, mission project scientist based at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt. , Maryland. Apophis’ close approach to Earth will change the asteroid’s orbit and the length of its 30.6-hour day. The impact could also cause earthquakes and landslides on the asteroid’s surface, which could churn up material and expose what lies underneath.
“The close approach is a great natural experiment,” said Dani Mendoza Della Giustina, OSIRIS-APEX principal investigator at the University of Arizona in Tucson. “We know that tidal forces and debris accumulation are fundamental processes that can play a role in planet formation. They could tell us how we evolved from the wreckage of the early solar system into full-fledged planets.”
By April 2, 2029—about two weeks before Apophis’s close approach to Earth—OSIRIS-APEX cameras will begin photographing the asteroid as the spacecraft catches up with it. At this time, Apophis will also be closely observed by ground-based telescopes. But a few hours after the close approach, Apophis will appear in the sky too close to the Sun to be observed by ground-based optical telescopes. This means that any changes caused by a close encounter would be best detected by the spacecraft.
OSIRIS-APEX will arrive at the asteroid on April 13, 2029 and will operate near it for approximately the next 18 months. In addition to studying the changes to Apophis caused by its impact with Earth, the spacecraft will conduct many of the same studies that OSIRIS-REx conducted on the asteroid Bennu, including using its instrument suite of imaging, spectrometers, and a laser altimeter to accurately surface mapping and analysis of its chemical composition.
OSIRIS-APEX will then dive 16 feet below the asteroid’s surface and fire its thrusters downward. This maneuver will stir up surface rocks and dust to give scientists a glimpse of the material lying below. What OSIRIS-APEX will discover about Apophis remains to be seen, but if the previous mission is any indication, amazing scientific discoveries lie ahead. “We learned a lot from Bennu, but now we have even more questions for our next target,” Simon said.
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center provides overall mission management, systems engineering, and safety and sustainment for the OSIRIS-APEX mission. Dani Mendoza Della Giustina of the University of Arizona, Tucson, is the principal investigator. The university leads the scientific team and is also responsible for planning scientific observations and processing mission data. Lockheed Martin Space in Littleton, Colorado, built the spacecraft and is flying it.
Goddard and KinetX Aerospace are responsible for navigation of the OSIRIS-APEX spacecraft. International partnerships on this mission include a spacecraft laser altimeter from CSA (Canadian Space Agency) and scientific collaboration with JAXA’s (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) Hayabusa2 mission. OSIRIS-APEX (formerly OSIRIS-REx) is the third mission in NASA’s New Frontiers program, managed by NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, for the agency’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington.