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Scientists to drill into asteroid impact that wiped out dinosaurs
There's plenty of evidence to indicate that a gigantic asteroid likely wiped out the dinosaurs (and many other forms of life) when it smacked into what's now the Gulf of Mexico roughly 65.5 million years ago. However, what happened shortly afterward remains something of a mystery... or at least, it will until this spring. By April 1st, a scientific expedition will start drilling into the Gulf's Chicxulub impact crater to study how life recovered following the mass extinction at the end of the Cretaceous period. The team will be looking for DNA samples, microfossils and rock type changes at different geologic layers to gauge both the effect of the impact and how lifeforms carried on in the hostile post-impact environment.
Russia has plans to nuke Earth-bound asteroids, if necessary
From 2012 to 2015, Russia researched ways of deflecting Earth-bound asteroids using nuclear weapons and came up with a best-case scenario, The Telegraph reports. The Central Scientific Research Institute of Machine Building, an arm of Russia's state-run Roscosmos space agency, worked on the asteroid problem with other countries (including the United States) in a program called NEOShield, which was largely funded by the European Commission. Note that "NEO" in this case stands for "Near-Earth Object," not The One you're probably imagining.
President signs pro-asteroid mining bill into law
And just like that, American asteroid mining efforts are legal. President Obama has signed the US Commercial Space Launch Competitiveness Act (CSLCA) into law following Congress' approval, letting companies keep whatever resources they collect beyond Earth. As you might imagine, hopeful mining outfits like Planetary Resources are relieved. While the odds weren't that high that the government would confiscate their minerals as soon as they landed, the Act removes any ambiguity.
Congress approves space mining, minus regulation
American companies now have the all-clear to pursue their dreams of mining in space. Both the House of Representatives and the Senate have passed the US Commercial Space Launch Competitiveness Act, a measure that lets US companies own any non-organic resources they harvest from asteroids and other space objects. This doesn't give them sovereignty, but it does let them return to Earth without worrying that officials will confiscate their goods.
OSIRIS-REx is complete and will collect asteroid samples in 2016
It seems like only yesterday that OSIRIS-REx got its first scientific instrument: a thermal emission spectrometer that can take the temp of an asteroid called Bennu every two seconds. Now, Lockheed Martin is done building the spacecraft, and NASA's slated to send it off to space in 2016 to collect samples from the near-Earth asteroid. Before it blasts off, though, the probe will undergo more rigorous testing as a whole spacecraft within the next five months. That includes subjecting it to extreme temps, vibrations, electromagnetic interference and vacuum that simulate space travel.
Asteroid making surprise flyby at an 'unusually high' velocity
A newly discovered asteroid (not pictured) will make Halloween more thrilling by passing within 1.3 lunar distances (310,000 miles) of Earth. The object, which measures between 300 and 600 meters (1,000 and 2,000 feet) across, was discovered last week by the asteroid-hunting Pan-STARRS observatory in Hawaii, according to NASA. It'll streak by on October 31st at an "unusually" high encounter velocity of 35 km/s, or around 78,000 mph. By contrast, the Russian meteorite caught by vehicle cameras in 2013 was 17 meters (55 feet) across and traveled at a top speed of 19 km/s, while the one that flattened a Russian forest in 1908 measured 40 meters (130 feet).
Asteroid-bound spacecraft gets its first scientific instrument
NASA has begun attaching scientific instruments to the OSIRIS-REx probe, just over a year before it starts making its way to asteroid Bennu. The first instrument to arrive at Lockheed Martin's HQ is Arizona State University's microwave-sized device called OSIRIS-REx Thermal Emission Spectrometer or OTES. It's designed switch on shortly after the spacecraft begins its two-year journey to Bennu, and to take the near-Earth asteroid's temperature every two seconds once it arrives. The instrument, which has undergone development and testing these past few years, will also scan the celestial body's surface to map minerals and chemicals.
Asteroid Day seeks to find a way to protect our planet
NASA has recently teamed up with the National Nuclear Security Administration to look into the possibility of using nukes to save the Earth from serious asteroid threats. Both organizations have been studying the option for quite some time -- they ran computer simulations in the past, and NASA has even designed a nuke-equipped interceptor years ago -- but now they're exploring the possibility together. They're particularly concerned about huge "dinosaur killers" measuring 164 to 492 feet in diameter and will most likely deploy weapons only if humanity's threatened by rocks that big. To put that in perspective, when a 60-feet, 7,000 ton asteroid crashed in Russia in 2013, it burned and blinded people despite being relatively small. The agencies' deal was closed just in time for the first Asteroid Day on June 30th.
Asteroid mining might compromise telecom and defense satellites
Asteroid mining might provide a lot of jobs and new sources of gold, titanium, platinum and other metals, as well as hydrogen and ammonia in the future. But it could also spell disaster for telecom satellites orbiting the Earth if it's not managed properly. You see, some companies planning to mine the celestial objects are looking for ways to ferry them closer to home. Remember how NASA aims to take a chunk from an asteroid and drag it to the moon's orbit using a spacecraft? Something like that, but likely on a much bigger scale. Unfortunately, asteroids have weak gravity and could yield huge amounts of debris, which might end up polluting the geosynchronous orbit. That's where most telecom and defense satellites are stationed.
Larry Page's asteroid-mining firm launches its first satellite in July
Planetary Resources hasn't had much success getting its asteroid-mining business off the ground, in a very literal sense -- it lost its first satellite, Arkyd-3, in the Antares rocket explosion last year. It's about to get a second try, though. The Larry Page-backed company has announced that its craft's follow-up, Arkyd 3 Reflight (aka Arkyd 3R), is scheduled to launch from the International Space Station in July. While the vehicle will spend just 90 days sending self-diagnostic info before it falls to Earth, it'll serve as a useful test run before the more ambitious Arkyd 6 starts wielding its scientific instruments in December. No, this isn't the long-promised space telescope, but it's an important early step.
NASA's asteroid capture mission is a testbed for trips to Mars
NASA is finally done assessing its two options for the Asteroid Redirect Mission (ARM). Its final choice? Option B: it plans to grab a chunk of its target asteroid and take the boulder-sized piece to the moon's orbit. While Option A sounded more exciting -- it entailed capturing an entire asteroid -- NASA has decided to go with this one, because it will allow the agency to test new technologies for future manned trips to Mars. One of those technologies is called Solar Electric Propulsion (SEP), which uses sunlight instead of traditional fuel. More specifically, it uses solar arrays to convert sunlight into power, which propels charged atoms that move the spacecraft -- it's not as fast as rocket propulsion, but it could save manned missions a lot of money.
NASA delays 'capture the asteroid' plan until next year
Now that the ESA has landed on a comet, NASA wants to do them one better: capture an entire asteroid (or a piece of one) and put it in orbit around the moon in 2019. But the space agency has now said that it's delaying a decision on exactly how the Asteroid Redirect Mission will do that until 2015. Option A involves bagging and capturing an entire meteorite about 30 feet across, while option B would see them landing on larger target, Philae-style, and digging out a boulder-sized chunk (see the video below). In both cases, it will be towed back to the moon and placed in orbit there. Astronauts launching from the upcoming Space Launch System (SLS) in an Orion capsule will then intercept the orbiting meteorite in 2020, retrieve samples and return to Earth.
Japan's Hayabusa 2 spacecraft heads to a carbon-rich asteroid soon
On November 30th, Japan's Hayabusa 2 will be leaving leaving Earth aboard a Mitsubishi-made rocket to make its way to an asteroid -- but not to blow it up. The Japanese spacecraft will follow in its predecessor's footsteps and observing a space rock for science (of course). But unlike the first Hayabusa that explored an asteroid rich in silicate and nickel-iron, this one's headed for one that's made of clay and rocks: materials that could contain organic matter and water. The unmanned vehicle will traverse outer space for more than three years until it finds asteroid "1999 JU3," which it's scheduled to reach by June 2018.
Planetary Resources wants your help spotting asteroids
Eager to help Planetary Resources look for asteroids and bring humanity that much closer to space mining? Well, it's time to get cracking. The company has launched Asteroid Zoo, a site that relies on crowdsourcing (i.e. you) to both find rocks in the void and train computers to do the same. It's pretty straightforward -- all you do is look at image sets from the Catalina Sky Survey and mark any asteroids or artifacts.
NASA wants to launch its asteroid capture mission in 2019
NASA's plans to snag an asteroid just got a little more concrete. The space agency has narrowed down the launch of its Asteroid Redirect Mission to 2019, with the choice of rock coming a year before that. At the moment, the administration is torn between two potential destinations. One proposed mission plan has the vehicle bringing back a tiny asteroid less than 32 feet across; another would scoop out a "boulder-sized" chunk from a larger target. Officials expect to make a decision late this year, though, and five years is trivial in light of NASA's more ambitious projects. And don't worry if that's still too long to wait -- the folks behind Kerbal Space Program are more than happy to sate your appetite for asteroid retrieval.
NASA's game collaboration lets you steer asteroids without leaving home
Kerbal Space Program is the closest you'll get to running a space agency. The game lets you build and launch everything from orbital stations to interplanetary explorers, all in the name of collecting scientific data. It's only fitting, then, that the studio behind the title has teamed up with NASA to release its Asteroid Redirect Mission add-on. The patch gives you both equipment based on the Space Launch System as well as enough giant rocks to let you either mimic potential real-world missions or live out your Armageddon dreams. The KSP upgrade isn't a completely faithful simulation by any means, but it's realistic enough that it could help you appreciate the challenges of steering asteroids. If you'd like to see the software in action, you can check out the second video at about the 57-minute mark.
NASA wants to put your name on a spacecraft headed to an asteroid
Forget those dime-a-dozen "name a star" gifts -- wouldn't you rather put your name on a spacecraft that advances human understanding? NASA certainly thinks you do. It's teaming up with the Planetary Society to etch your name on chips inside its OSIRIS-REx probe, which will head toward the asteroid Bennu in 2016. While it's doubtful that any aliens will read your microscopic claim to fame, it'll certainly get the grand tour. The spacecraft will spend 500 days around the asteroid before heading back, and both the decommissioned vehicle as well as the returning sample capsule will have your ID. You can register your name today for free; just be prepared to wait years for the payoff.
NASA underwater testing slimmer suits for spacewalking on asteroids (video)
In a tank of water in Texas, NASA's busily testing its wardrobe for a future Armageddon-esque mission. The space agency has been taking advantage of its Neutral Buoyancy Lab near the Johnson Space Center in Houston to run some new space suits through the wringer. The suits are a modified version of the pumpkin-colored launch and reentry Advanced Crew Escape System (ACES) that NASA started employing back in 1994. The tweaked versions are said to be less bulky to better fit within the spacial constraints of the Orion spacecraft and more flexible for walks on deep space missions, including journeys to relocated asteroids. Check out some of the fun in a video below.
Researchers find 12 easily captured near-Earth asteroids
Both NASA and Planetary Resources dream of capturing asteroids, but they need viable targets -- many space rocks aren't easily moved. The University of Strathclyde just gave those organizations some help by identifying 12 near-Earth asteroids that are relatively easy to catch. All of them would require velocity changes of less than 1,640 feet per second to fall into orbit around Earth's Lagrangian points, where the gravity balance would let miners and researchers get to work. Don't expect intercept missions anytime soon, though. One of the more accessible targets, 2006 RH120, would have to be nudged in February 2021 to reach orbit in 2026; it will be a long while before any of us sees an asteroid up close.
NASA picks eight astronaut trainees that may go to asteroids and Mars (video)
If you like space exploration, you'll want to get used to these eight faces -- odds are that you'll see at least some of them again. They represent NASA's 2013 astronaut candidate class, and they'll start training in August for a chance at going on missions to the International Space Station, asteroids and even Mars. The trainee pool is more eclectic than usual this time around. Half the picks are women, while three of the candidates come from non-military outfits such as Harvard Medical School and NOAA. Check out the full roster after the break.
