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posted by martyb on Thursday June 28 2018, @07:33AM   Printer-friendly
from the space-billiards dept.

Earth's first mission to a binary asteroid, for planetary defence

Planning for humankind's first mission to a binary asteroid system has entered its next engineering phase. ESA's proposed Hera mission would also be Europe's contribution to an ambitious planetary defence experiment.

Named for the Greek goddess of marriage, Hera would fly to the Didymos pair of Near-Earth asteroids: the 780 m-diameter mountain-sized main body is orbited by a 160 m moon, informally called 'Didymoon', about the same size as the Great Pyramid of Giza.

[...] By the time Hera reaches Didymos, in 2026, Didymoon will have achieved historic significance: the first object in the Solar System to have its orbit shifted by human effort in a measurable way.

A NASA mission called the Double Asteroid Redirection Test, or DART, is due to collide with it in October 2022. The impact will lead to a change in the duration of Didymoon's orbit around the main body. Ground observatories all around the world will view the collision, but from a minimum distance of 11 million km away.

"Essential information will be missing following the DART impact – which is where Hera comes in," adds Ian. "Hera's close-up survey will give us the mass of Didymoon, the shape of the crater, as well as physical and dynamical properties of Didymoon.

65803 Didymos.

Also at Popular Mechanics.

Previously: NASA to Redirect an Asteroid's Moon With Kinetic Impact


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  • (Score: 2, Redundant) by aristarchus on Thursday June 28 2018, @07:46AM (14 children)

    by aristarchus (2645) on Thursday June 28 2018, @07:46AM (#699717) Journal

    Δίδυμος is of course the Greek for, oh, go look it up yourself, I am tired. But with Hera, the whole thing starts to be Gemaniaic.

    Famous quote, early version of "These are not the droids you are looking for."
    "Didymos is very near." And indeed, he was.

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  • (Score: 3, Informative) by c0lo on Thursday June 28 2018, @08:33AM (7 children)

    by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Thursday June 28 2018, @08:33AM (#699725) Journal

    But with Hera, the whole thing starts to be Gemaniaic.

    Your typos seems to become authoritative [google.com], magister.
    (at least you know your presence in this world still lets a mark even today - large grin)

    --
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
    • (Score: 2) by aristarchus on Thursday June 28 2018, @08:53PM (6 children)

      by aristarchus (2645) on Thursday June 28 2018, @08:53PM (#699972) Journal

      "Of, or pertaining to Gemini, the twins Castor and Pollux." See, KritonK got it right.

      • (Score: 2) by c0lo on Thursday June 28 2018, @11:23PM (5 children)

        by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Thursday June 28 2018, @11:23PM (#700021) Journal

        It still a typo, though.
        'Geminis' as dative is the closest to force into existence something like 'geminiac".

        Alternately, you could use the 'to geminate'/'geminated' (large grin)

        --
        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
        • (Score: 2) by aristarchus on Friday June 29 2018, @12:17AM (4 children)

          by aristarchus (2645) on Friday June 29 2018, @12:17AM (#700038) Journal

          Genitive dual. pseudo-masculine?

          • (Score: 2) by c0lo on Friday June 29 2018, @12:45AM (3 children)

            by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Friday June 29 2018, @12:45AM (#700046) Journal

            Oh, gosh. The level of intricated derivation by syntactical application of Latin grammar rules is over my abilities in a thanks-God-is-Friday late morning following a FIFA World cup game.

            Impaired as I might be, I seem to remember the Greek mother of the Latin Castores was in fact Λήδα, not Hρᾱ?
            The Spartan queen with a kink for swans, does my memory serve?

            --
            https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
            • (Score: 2) by aristarchus on Friday June 29 2018, @01:04AM (2 children)

              by aristarchus (2645) on Friday June 29 2018, @01:04AM (#700051) Journal

              Correct. Except they are also Dioscuri, or at least one of them was, which introduces the Hera-kles aspect of the wrath of Juno.

              • (Score: 2) by c0lo on Friday June 29 2018, @01:35AM (1 child)

                by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Friday June 29 2018, @01:35AM (#700062) Journal

                The plot thickens.

                --
                https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
                • (Score: 1, Redundant) by aristarchus on Friday June 29 2018, @06:42AM

                  by aristarchus (2645) on Friday June 29 2018, @06:42AM (#700147) Journal

                  One iota of difference? No, just a typo, though a rather exhuberant one! But science, Hayabusa has entered orbit. ESA could do as much, maybe more! At least Runaway1941 is not commenting.

  • (Score: 2) by Bot on Thursday June 28 2018, @09:33AM (5 children)

    by Bot (3902) on Thursday June 28 2018, @09:33AM (#699734) Journal

    >Δίδυμος is of course the Greek for

    dildo

    back to topic, plot twist, it will get redirected towards the earth...

    --
    Account abandoned.
    • (Score: 2) by KritonK on Thursday June 28 2018, @10:04AM (4 children)

      by KritonK (465) on Thursday June 28 2018, @10:04AM (#699736)

      >Δίδυμος is of course the Greek for

      dildo

      That would be ἰθύφαλλος, which I wouldn't be surprised if it were the name of some other asteroid.

      Δίδυμος, of course, means twin.

      • (Score: 2) by c0lo on Thursday June 28 2018, @02:56PM (3 children)

        by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Thursday June 28 2018, @02:56PM (#699822) Journal

        They missed the opportunity with 'Oumuamua [wikipedia.org].
        I don't think any of the asteroids in the Solar system worth a Bacchic ode to a straight dongle - the repeated orgiastic encounters would have worn them to nuts or potato shapes.

        --
        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
        • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday June 28 2018, @08:25PM (2 children)

          by Anonymous Coward on Thursday June 28 2018, @08:25PM (#699961)

          I have you know 'Oumuamua was the onomatopoeic rendering of one brave researcher trying to suggest "Penis-Turd" during the name suggesting session as his girl-friend promptly shoved a scarf down his throat to shut him up.

          • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday June 28 2018, @10:34PM (1 child)

            by Anonymous Coward on Thursday June 28 2018, @10:34PM (#700011)

            Obviously you do not know Hawaiian, nor do you know of the University of Hawaii's Institute for Astronomy.

            • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday June 29 2018, @09:54AM

              by Anonymous Coward on Friday June 29 2018, @09:54AM (#700184)

              Penis-Turd?