Space agency to smash 660-pound spacecraft into near-Earth asteroid


By Max Sonnenberg, The Space Reporter
Friday, January 18, 2013

Space agency to smash 660-pound spacecraft into near-Earth asteroid

The European Space Agency (ESA) is preparing to tackle a seemingly impossible task, the deflection of a near-Earth asteroid in 2022. The ESA will conduct a live test run on 65803 Didymos, which is 800 meters across. Unlike asteroid Apophis, 65803 Didymos is not an asteroid that's likely to impact Earth, meaning that the ESA's test run will not be an Armageddon-like effort to save mankind from impending doom... To continue reading, subscribe to The Space Reporter today.

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