Apophis: a European space mission gets up close with an asteroid set to brush by Earth
Get the Full StoryThe European Space Agency has given the go-ahead for initial work on a mission to visit an asteroid called 99942 Apophis. If approved at a key meeting next year, the robotic spacecraft, known as the Rapid Apophis Mission for Space Safety Ramses , will rendezvous with the asteroid in February 2029. Apophis is 340 metres wide, about the same as the height of the Empire State Building. If it were to hit Earth, it would cause wholesale destruction hundreds of miles from its impact site. The energy released would equal that of tens or hundreds of nuclear weapons, depending on the This story continues at The Next WebShare: