Asteroid That Could Wipe Out Humanity Is Being Studied By NASA!
#shorts #Apophis #Earth #OSIRIS-REx mission #orbit
NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission to Bennu is over, but the spacecraft is still going strong. Now it's headed to Apophis, an even more-famous Earth-crossing asteroid. Apophis was named after the Egyptian evil serpent deity who sought to swallow the Sun and destroy the world. OSIRIS-APEX will study Apophis as it passes just 32,000 kilometers (20,000 miles) from the Earth. This is a once-in-a-7,500-year opportunity to observe an asteroid this close. OSIRIS-APEX will also get within 5 meters (16 feet) of the surface and fire its thrusters to see how much dust gets blown off. The mission is a lot less stretched than some, and it's going to be a great natural experiment.