A Nasa mission that collided with an asteroid didn’t just leave a dent – it reshaped the space rock
The mission provided details about how to deflect an asteroid should one threaten Earth in future.
Feb. 26, 2024 • ~7 min
The mission provided details about how to deflect an asteroid should one threaten Earth in future.
Upcoming NASA missions will help scientists understand the composition of asteroids – which could inform companies one day hoping to commercially mine asteroids.
Scientists have been searching Earth’s surface for superheavy elements too difficult to make in the lab, but now, many are looking to the skies instead.
Some space rocks you can get for free – if you know how to identify them. Rarer materials cost more, and the asteroid sample NASA just brought back has a high price tag.
Studying the sample could help answer how water arrived on Earth and how life started.
Controlled experiments are impossible in astronomy, as are direct measurements of physical properties of objects outside our solar system. So how do astronomers know so much about them?
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