Posted on 07/28/2004 8:22:08 AM PDT by blam
Probe to 'look inside' asteroids
By Paul Rincon
BBC News Online science staff in Paris, France
Studies of asteroids would aid Earth-protection strategies
A new space mission concept unveiled at a Paris conference aims to look inside asteroids to reveal how they are made. Deep Interior would use radar to probe the origin and evolution of two near-Earth objects less than 1km across.
The mission, which could launch some time later this decade, would also give clues to how the planets evolved.
The perceived threat of asteroids colliding with our planet has renewed interest in space missions to understand these mysterious bodies.
Different targets
Deep Interior would use two 30m-long radar antennas to build up a picture of the structure of the asteroids, including compositional boundaries and faults, and its topography.
This should show whether the asteroids are solid all the way through or are essentially floating piles of rubble.
It is intended to rendezvous with two asteroids which are each under 1km in size: Nyx and 1999 ND43.
Nyx is a so-called V-type asteroid, containing stony irons, chondrites and pyroxene. The other target, 1999 ND43, is not well understood.
The asteroids have partially been chosen because they are easy to reach.
The probe would also carry a radio tomography instrument - to examine electromagnetic properties - and two colour cameras.
Earth alert
A proposal for the project, described here at the Committee on Space Research (Cospar) scientific assembly, was submitted to Nasa two weeks ago.
The scientists behind the concept hope that, if accepted, the probe could launch as early as 2009.
The European mission would impact an asteroid
An asteroid mission concept - called Don Quijote was recently given priority over five other potential asteroid projects by the European Space Agency.
The mission is designed to help scientists understand how an asteroid on a collision course with Earth might be destroyed or deflected.
This mission would involve two spacecraft - Sancho and Hidalgo - launched on different trajectories to the same asteroid. Sancho would arrive first and orbit from a safe distance.
It would then measure the effects as Hidalgo is sent crashing into the asteroid's surface.
Nasa has a similar mission - Deep Impact - which will blow a hole in the comet Tempel 1 and measure the effects.
I had asteroids for many years...boy do they hurt.
We know we'll be in for nine kinds of troubles if these scientist begin to pull 20-dollar (or Euros) notes out of their pockets and propose newbies to play pool with them for money, just to make the whole thing more interesting...
Really now, if you want to know what an asteroid is like inside you have to do it the old-fashioned way
Paging Bruce Willis, this is NASA. Assemble your team...
Excuse me ...but didn't Bruce Willis already do this .."Armegeddon" ( I cry everytime I see it)
Not terribly likely...Space is awful big, and even if one of these does hit Earth, there's a chance it could hit France, Saudi Arabia, Syria, or certain provinces in Canada. :)
If Kerry kept his space-bunny suit from NASA, I can't think of a better person to send out to space to personally investigate the matter.
The French have really lost all credibility. they can't even come up with an original idea anymore.
The movie was unbearable, but yeah, I tear up when I hear the song...
I could stay awake just to hear you breathing
Watch you smile while you are sleeping
While you're far away and dreaming
I could spend my life in this sweet surrender
I could stay lost in this moment forever
Every moment spent with you is a moment I treasure
I don't wanna close my eyes
I don't wanna fall asleep
Cause I'd miss you, baby
And I don't wanna miss a thing
Cause even when I dream of you
The sweetest dream will never do
I'd still miss you, baby
And I don't wanna miss a thing
Lying close to you feeling your heart beating
And I'm wondering what you're dreaming
Wondering if it's me you're seeing
Then I kiss your eyes and thank God we're together
And I just wanna stay with you
In this moment forever, forever and ever
I don't wanna close my eyes
I don't wanna fall asleep
Cause I'd miss you, baby
And I don't wanna miss a thing
Cause even when I dream of you
The sweetest dream will never do
I'd still miss you, baby
And I don't wanna miss a thing
I don't wanna miss one smile
I don't wanna miss one kiss
Well, I just wanna be with you
Right here with you, just like this
I just wanna hold you close
Feel your heart so close to mine
And stay here in this moment
For all the rest of time
Don't wanna close my eyes
Don't wanna fall asleep
Cause I'd miss you, baby
And I don't wanna miss a thing
Cause even when I dream of you
The sweetest dream will never do
Cause I'd still miss you, baby
And I don't wanna miss a thing
I don't wanna close my eyes
I don't wanna fall asleep
Cause I'd miss you, baby
And I don't wanna miss a thing
Cause even when I dream of you
The sweetest dream will never do
I'd still miss you, baby
And I don't wanna miss a thing
Don't wanna close my eyes
Don't wanna fall asleep, yeah
I don't wanna miss a thing
"Deep Impact" was a lot more believable, and Tea Leoni's last scene on the beach with Maximillian Schell as the tsunami bears down on them still gets me.
I couldnt help but laugh at the title of this thread...
The whole "probe" and "asteroids" thing... :)
I, for one, welcome our new Asteroid Overlords.
Oh my gosh. I love that song. Deep Impact was just as sad. When she gave her co-worker her seat on the evacuation plane so the womans daughter would not be alone was amazing.
That would make them easier to get to...
I wish they could figure out a way to cut a core sample and get it home. They could pick a dozen random sites on Mars, and a dozen asteroids at random, and see what this stuff is made of.
Of course, if we could get a lab built on the surface of Mars, perhaps another mobile lab out in the asteroid belt, and figure out a way to man it...
BTTT
The double entendre head line may be a ruse by the French to have HillaryCare fund their space program
If the french are involved, Hidalgo will arrive before Sancho.
Well it is the BBC. It probably is a planted story by the French. Any serious mission of this type would be headed by NASA. Or JPL,etc. The French were still testing Nukes in S.Pacific atolls until---15-20 yrs ago. I don't take this report seriously.
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