An analysis published Saturday detailed how a “minimoon” could help humanity become an interplanetary race in the future.
Back in 2006, the NASA-sponsored Catalina Sky Survey discovered something strange orbiting Earth. It’s a natural satellite, just like the moon, dragged into our little backyard in space.live science explained. The object, commonly known as a “mini-moon,” was just a few meters in diameter and reportedly stayed in our orbit for just about a year before disappearing into the depths of space.
Fourteen years later, the Catalina Sky Survey discovered another mini-moon, roughly the size of a car, that remained around Earth until it was “ejected” from Earth’s orbit in March 2020, according to Live Science. It is said that Although some of these mini-moons have reportedly raised concerns about the risk of a direct collision with Earth or the moon (which would also have dire consequences for Earth), these space rocks could also help us humans become an interplanetary species. experts say.
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“To go anywhere in the universe, you have to change your speed,” Richard Binzel, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), told Live Science. Mini-moons are reportedly small and have very low gravity, so they don’t need much propulsion to move. “With just one puff of fuel, we can leave the minimoon and return to Earth,” Binsel reportedly continued.
Can you hop on a mini-moon, float around for a little while, and then come back to Earth? perhaps! Our closest minimoon is about 100 days round trip. according to To previous research. “Going to Mars is a huge step,” said NASA scientist Paul Abel. “There’s a lot that needs to happen, so let’s take a look at some of the near-Earth asteroids that are between the Earth-Moon system and Mars.” (Related: NASA claims to have identified strange object that defies the laws of physics)
By testing a voyage to a minimoon before blasting off to Mars, scientists are solving some of the critical problems associated with major interplanetary travel without making any mistakes when ultimately arriving there. I believe it can be done. And, according to Live Science, these satellites could be used primarily as refueling stations once the exploration is finished.
“When you go on vacation, when you get on a plane, when you drive somewhere, you don’t bring oxygen, food, everything the whole way there and back,” Abel added. “Well, it’s kind of the same thing. We want to get away from the hassle of taking everything off the planet, going all the way out there, and coming back again, because that’s very expensive. Let’s hope this happens before one of these mini-moons decides to destroy our species instead, or the aliens come and use Earth as a gas station.
