A space rock several hundred metres across is heading towards our planet and the last-ditch attempt to avert a disaster -- an untested mission to deflect it -- fails. This fictional scene of films and novels could well be a reality one day. But what can space agencies do to ensure it works?
ESA is appealing for research ideas to help guide the development of a US-European asteroid deflection mission now under study.
Concepts are being sought for both ground- and space-based investigations, seeking improved understanding of the physics of very high-speed collisions involving both human-made and natural objects in space.
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