What are the top three strategies for stopping apophis from hitting earth?
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M$2 Answers
In December 2008, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) developed a Near-Earth Object (NEO) hazard mitigation strategy, the JPL/B612 Paper on Apophis Keyholes, when the U.S. National Research Council's (NRC) Space Sciences Board requested the information. The paper was presented in April 2009 at the 1st. IAA Planetary Defense Conference that took place in Granada, Spain.
The 270 meter Apophis asteroid discovered in 2004, became the main focus of the conference. It is predicted to pass very close to Earth, below the altitude of most of our geosynchronous satellites, in April 2029 and has a 1 in 45.000 probability of impacting the planet in 2036.
Although the Near Earth Object Program executive summary preferred approach for short-notice NEO deflection is the stand-off nuclear option for short notice, they have considered so far a set of 100,000 projection solutions. But the combination of a Kinetic Energy and Gravity Tractor mission scenario are also considered as the first solution.
http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/neo/PDC_proceedings_062009.doc
In any case, one of the most important strategies for measuring the position of Apophis was presented at the conference by Mr. A.C. Charania, president of the company SpaceWorks Commercial, with a proposal named, "Foresight: designing a radio transponder mission to Apophis".
http://www.sei.aero/com/news/newsindex.php?id=10
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The Foresight spacecraft is a concept design for a radio tagging mission to Near Earth Object (NEO) Apophis. The spacecraft is designed to be a low-cost, low-risk, minimal science mission in order to conduct precise in-situ measurements of the position of Apophis in order to enable a very accurate determination of the NEO’s heliocentric orbit. The specific goal is to obtain accurate tracking information for Apophis by 2017 such that the long dimension of the +/- 3 sigma error ellipse is reduced to less than 14 km for the 2029 passage of Apophis through a keyhole near Earth.
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M$Upto what I read from the internet, scientists are trying to do the following things.
1. Detonating a powerful nuclear weapon at the correct location could blow off a part from this material which causes a thrust to make the asteroid miss the earth than collide.
2. Piet Hut, of the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton has put forward the idea of a "Tug Boat" which can attach itself to the asteroid and push it out of the earth pathway.
However, these ideas could only postpone the collision and the scientists say that another collision could occur when this asteroid again passes earth on 2036.
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/129849.html
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M$
I think I answered the wrong question. I actually clicked to answer the question about the Asteroid, but after I click submit my answer, the question has changed. :(
2016 is a common year quoted.
No, I don´t think so. If you take a look at the Apophis Keyhole Map and the Near Earth Object Program executive summary http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/neo/PDC_proceedings_062009.doc you´ll find that the keyholes will start to diminish in size with every new orbit Apophis concludes in the coming years. The reduction is constant the more closer the date of the encounter.
Probability will be reduced even more in the coming years.
The amount of money allocated to deflect the asteroid is small.
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1 in 45.000 probability of impacting the planet in 2036
The probability is low. Should I be concerned with such a low probability of impact