Aarti Holla-Maini of the UN’s Office for Outer Space Affairs is primed to spot a potential planetary strike – and a year ago, she thought the moment had comeThe UN official had trained for this moment. She had run drills and...
Read MoreWith close encounters due in 2029 and 2032, space scientists are getting to grips with an existential threatIt is a scenario beloved of Hollywood: a huge asteroid, several miles wide, is on a collision course with Earth....
Read MoreEarth’s gravitational pull will cause a trapped asteroid to orbit around planet for about two monthsThis autumn, for a limited time, Earth will be getting a second moon.According to a study published this week, an asteroid...
Read MoreBill Nelson hails the Osiris-Rex mission’s success following its capsule’s landing in the Utah desert todayAnother hope is that by studying the samples from Bennu, scientists can compare their results against the...
Read MoreTest drive of planetary defence system aims to provide data on how to deflect asteroids away from EarthThat’s one large rock, one momentous shift in our relationship with space. On Wednesday, Nasa will launch a mission to...
Read MoreChunk of space rock was once the ‘poster child for hazardous asteroids’ but it will be a while before humans need to worry about it againNasa has given Earth the all clear on the chances of an asteroid called Apophis...
Read MoreSpacecraft ‘kissed the surface’ in brief landing on asteroid 200m miles away from Earth in US-first missionA Nasa spacecraft has successfully landed on an asteroid, dodging boulders the size of buildings, in order to...
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