Europe's RAMSES Mission to Asteroid Apophis Moves Ahead
David Dickinson
The RAMSES mission to the asteroid Apophis will launch in 2028 to meet the asteroid before its close encounter with Earth.
I remember going to an astronomy club meeting way in 2004, back when the asteroid later named 99942 Apophis was discovered. We all had a good laugh at the irony that a potential city-killer asteroid would visit Earth on the far-off date of April 2029 — on Friday the 13th.
Fast forward, and that date is now mere years away. Fortunately, we now know Apophis poses no risk to...