Science

Vladimir Putin to save Earth: Russia to track Earth-threatening asteroids from the moon


The Russian space agency Roscosmos will install a nuclear-powered observatory on the far side of the moon, which will be ran by robots. The base will work in conjunction with asteroid-hunting telescopes to provide a detailed survey of potentially hazardous space rocks. Alexander Bloshenko, Roscosmos’ Executive Director for Science and Long-Term Programs, announced the decision, stating the base will be built on the lunar satellite’s southern pole.

He is quoted by Russian media: “The location selected for the base is southern pole of the moon.

“It has favourable relief and conditions: enough light for solar panels, constantly shadowed craters with ice reserves for fuel and raw material.

“There are plans to install equipment on this base to study deep space — and special telescopes to track asteroids and comets that pose a danger of colliding with Earth.”

Russia will only send cosmonauts “to do the tasks that the robots are incapable of doing”, otherwise it will be completely staffed by machine.

The base will also be used for Russia to test space fairing equipment.

NASA has said a space rock of just a kilometre wide has the potential to cause chaos across the planet.

NASA said: “An individual’s chance of being killed by a meteorite is small, but the risk increases with the size of the impacting comet or asteroid, with the greatest risk associated with global catastrophes resulting from impacts of objects larger than 1 kilometre.”

However, the space agency moved to reassure frightened minds, stating that it is not predicting a major asteroid strike of that size for several centuries.

READ MORE: NASA asteroid tracker: A large rock just missed Earth on Friday 13th

This is why there are now plans in the pipeline which could help Earth from asteroids.

NASA is currently studying Asteroid Bennu, where its OSIRIS-Rex spacecraft arrived last year.

Their OSIRIS-Rex spacecraft is gathering information about the space rock, which is 500 metres in length.

NASA fears the asteroid, which has the potential to wipe out an entire country on Earth, could hit our planet within the next 120 years, with the next close flyby in 2135.

The mission will give vital information on how to deflect asteroids from their collision course with Earth.

But NASA reiterated, while there is a small chance Earth could be impacted, “over millions of years, of all of the planets, Bennu is most likely to hit Venus.”



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