<h2>Cracked</h2>
A new study revealed that the Moon has much deeper scars, from billions of years of asteroid impacts, than previously believed.
&#8220;We found that impacts break the lunar crust into roughly meter‐sized blocks,&#8221; the abstract of the <a href="https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2018JE005757">study&#8217;s paper</a> published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets last month reads. &#8220;Impacts can break up the lunar crust down to approximately 20 km, and objects greater than 1 km in diameter are the most efficient at fragmenting the crust.&#8221;
<h2>Asteroid Storm</h2>
A computer simulation of asteroid impact events found that some of the cracks left behind penetrate 12 miles (20 kilometers) below the Moon&#8217;s surface.
The researchers found that lunar megaregolith — the lesser studied top-most layer of the Moon&#8217;s crust — was likely fragmented very early in its history. By studying how and when planetary crusts were shaped, we could one day &#8220;determine if and when these environments became habitable,&#8221; according to the paper.
&#8220;There&#8217;s quite a lot of damage outside of the main crater area,&#8221; Sean Wiggins, lead author from Brown University in Rhode Island, <a href="https://www.livescience.com/65298-impacts-cracked-the-moon.html">told Live Science</a>. &#8220;Material is still very broken up, farther away than we would have predicted.&#8221;
READ MORE: <a href="https://www.livescience.com/65298-impacts-cracked-the-moon.html">The Moon&#8217;s Surface Is Totally Cracked</a> [Live Science] 

More on the lunar research: <a href="https://futurism.com/the-byte/meteoroid-strikes-rob-moon-surface-water">Meteoroid Strikes Smash Water out of the Moon&#8217;s Surface</a>

"There's quite a lot of damage outside of the main crater area."

New research: The Moon is covered with miles-deep cracks

Crater Face

A new study revealed that the Moon has much deeper scars from billions of years of asteroid impacts than initially thought.

New Research: The Moon Is Covered With Miles-Deep Cracks

The lunar surface is more perilous than scientists ever believed.

<h2>Space Volcanoes</h2>
Metallic asteroids — giant balls of iron sailing through the cosmos — may have once harbored epic space volcanoes, new research suggests.
As these asteroids solidified from molten iron, liquid trapped at the core may have erupted outward, <a href="https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1029/2019GL082542">according to a study</a> published Monday in the journal Geophysical Research Letters. The research is pretty metal, yes — but it also shines new light on the origins of the asteroids cruising through our solar system.
<h2>Two Options</h2>
The UC Santa Cruz scientists behind the discovery found two possible ways that the metallic asteroids could have formed, according to a <a href="https://phys.org/news/2019-04-iron-volcanoes-erupted-metal-asteroids.html">press release</a>.
Operating under the assumption that the asteroids originated as floating balls of molten iron, the scientists&#8217; models predict that some cooled from the inside out. But those that crystallized on the outer surface first may have then exploded as the molten iron trapped in their cores forced its way out, carving volcanic tunnels along the way.
<h2>Home-Grown</h2>
The scientists don&#8217;t expect to find much evidence of volcanic activity on asteroids that are still out there in orbit, as any volcanic craters that once existed have likely since worn away.
&#8220;It&#8217;s not clear what they might look like now,&#8221; planetary scientist Jacob Abrahams said in the press release.
Rather, the scientists argue that the best bet for verifying their models would be studying samples from metallic asteroids that have crashed into Earth.
READ MORE: <a href="https://phys.org/news/2019-04-iron-volcanoes-erupted-metal-asteroids.html">Iron volcanoes may have erupted on metal asteroids</a> [UC Santa Cruz newsroom via Phys.org]
More on asteroids: <a href="https://futurism.com/space-kingdom-asteroid-impact-humanity">The “Space Nation” Warns That an Asteroid Could Wipe out Humanity</a>

It's the most metal research of the year.

Explosive research: Some asteroids may have had volcanoes

Metal Volcanoes

New research shows that metallic asteroids may have once been home to volcanoes, as molten metal trapped beneath the surface erupted outward.

Explosive Research: Some Asteroids May Have Had Volcanoes

As metallic asteroids crystalized, molten iron at their cores may have exploded out.

<h2>Big Kaboom</h2>
Last Month, Japan&#8217;s robotic spacecraft Hayabusa2 <a href="https://futurism.com/hayabusa2-asteroid-ryugu-collect-samples">landed on an asteroid</a>. Now, the Japanese space agency, JAXA, says that Hayabusa2 will return with an explosive vengeance.
Next month, Hayabusa2 will drop a bomb on the asteroid and mine some of the exploded fragments, <a href="https://www.apnews.com/5a0a41482bed4de4a67e1e016a211ccb">according to The Associated Press</a>, blowing a huge crater in the space rock — which, no matter how you look at it, sounds pretty awesome.
<h2>Arms Race</h2>
When Hayabusa2 first touched down, it <a href="https://futurism.com/japanese-spacecraft-hayabusa2-bullet-asteroid">fired a small bullet</a> at the surface of the asteroid, dislodging some dust and small rocks to be studied later. Now the spacecraft will ramp up its firepower, launching a bomb at the surface of the asteroid at just over a mile per second, which is expected to carve out a 32-foot-wide crater.
Afterwards, Hayabusa2 may visit the crater itself. But JAXA told the AP that it will prioritize the probe&#8217;s safety if landing in the crater would be too dangerous.
<h2>Digging Deeper</h2>
If the mission works, Japan&#8217;s Hayabusa2 will be the first spacecraft to mine subsurface materials from an asteroid.
While NASA fragmented a comet in 2005, it didn&#8217;t follow up by actually gathering the various chunks of space rock for study, reports the AP. Because Hayabusa2 will stick around after the big boom, the probe will have to quickly dart away from the explosion before coming back to collect the fragments.
&#8220;It will be very challenging,&#8221; JAXA engineer Takanao Saeki told the AP.
READ MORE: <a href="https://www.apnews.com/5a0a41482bed4de4a67e1e016a211ccb">Japan to make crater on asteroid to get underground samples</a> [The Associated Press]
More on Hayabusa2: <a href="https://futurism.com/ryugu-asteroid-hayabusa2-shoot">New Video Shows Japanese Probe Shooting Asteroid With Bullet</a>

Hayabusa2 is returning to the asteroid it landed on... with a vengeance.

Japan announces plan to bomb an asteroid

Paging Bruce Willis

The Japanese Space Agency just announced that Hayabusa2, the same robotic probe that landed on an asteroid, will drop a bomb on it and mine the fragments.

Japan Announces Plan to Bomb Asteroid

It's like mountaintop removal mining, but in space.

ASTEROIDS APLENTY. Our solar system has no shortage of asteroids. At last count, NASA estimated there were <a href="https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/small-bodies/asteroids/overview/?page=0&amp;per_page=40&amp;order=name+asc&amp;search=&amp;condition_1=101%3Aparent_id&amp;condition_2=asteroid%3Abody_type%3Ailike" target="_blank" rel="noopener">781,454</a> of the rocky bodies orbiting our Sun. Tens of thousands of those are floating between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter in an area appropriately named the asteroid belt.
Right now, asteroids kind of just do their own thing — we really only worry about them if they head toward the Earth or threaten one of our spacecraft. But our relationship with asteroids is set to change dramatically in the coming years. A university in Colorado plans to help us get ready for that — it recently launched the world&#8217;s first space resources program.
MONEY WAITING TO BE MINED. Just like Earth, asteroids are laced with valuable raw materials, everything from gold and silver to cobalt and titanium. A <a href="https://futurism.com/nasa-fast-tracking-plans-explore-metal-asteroid-worth-10000-quadrillion/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">single asteroid</a> discovered in 1852 contains an estimated $10,000 quadrillion worth of iron; if we extracted all the materials from the asteroids in the asteroid belt, <a href="https://futurism.com/falcon-heavy-asteroid-mining/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NASA believes</a> we could give every human on Earth $100 billion.
A number of <a href="https://www.planetaryresources.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">private companies</a> and <a href="https://futurism.com/luxembourg-establishes-e220-million-fund-for-space-mining/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">government agencies</a> are already positioning themselves to grab the biggest possible slice of the <a href="https://futurism.com/humanitys-future-in-space-depends-on-asteroid-mining/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">asteroid mining</a> pie, but asteroid mining is about as easy as it sounds (i.e., <a href="https://www.wired.com/2017/01/asteroid-mining-sounds-hard-right-dont-know-half/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">not easy at all</a>). That&#8217;s where the Colorado School of Mines&#8217; new space resources program comes in.
A PIONEERING PROGRAM. According to the school&#8217;s website, the goal of the program is to prepare today&#8217;s scientists, engineers, entrepreneurs, economists, and policy makers for jobs in the burgeoning space resources industry. The school is offering students their choice of a Post-Baccalaureate certificate, a Master of Science degree, or a PhD, all of which focus on the &#8220;exploration, extraction, and use of [space] resources.&#8221;
The Colorado School of Mines is a particularly appropriate university to help prepare tomorrow&#8217;s space resources experts. According to the <a href="https://space.mines.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">program&#8217;s website</a>, &#8220;The broad topic of space resources brings together many fields in which Mines has a strong presence, including remote sensing, geomechanics, mining, materials/metallurgy, robotics/automation, advanced manufacturing, electrochemistry, solar and nuclear energy, and resource economics.&#8221;
Given all the resources space has to offer, it&#8217;s probably only a matter of time before humans try to extract them. The Colorado School of Mines&#8217; space resources program could be the first of many like it that would ensure the pioneers of this new industry are well-equipped to meet its challenges.
READ MORE: <a href="https://www.cpr.org/news/story/school-of-mines-debuts-the-worlds-first-degree-program-for-space-mining" target="_blank" rel="noopener">School of Mines Debuts the World&#8217;s First Degree Program for Space Mining</a> [Colorado Public Radio]
More on asteroid mining: <a href="https://futurism.com/nasa-fast-tracking-plans-explore-metal-asteroid-worth-10000-quadrillion/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NASA Is Fast-Tracking Plans to Explore a Metal Asteroid Worth $10,000 Quadrillion</a>

There's big money to be made in the space mining industry.

Want to snag a job mining asteroids someday? You can now get your masters in it.

Off World

A Colorado university just launched the world's first space resources degrees, which are designed to prepare students for off-world mining.

Want To Snag A Job Mining Asteroids Someday? You Can Now Get Your Masters In It.

Apply to the school of (space) rock.

<h2>Testing Our Tracking Abilities</h2>
NASA scientists have led a multi-national team of astronomers in the first international exercise testing our ability to track dangerous asteroids. Their goal? To &#8220;recover, track, and characterize a real asteroid as a potential impactor,&#8221; according to <a href="https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=6994" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a NASA press release</a>.
<figure style="width: 620px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img class="wp-image-109577 size-large aligncenter" src="https://wp-assets.futurism.com/2017/11/TerksolObservatory.png" alt="The 2-meter telescope at the Terksol Observatory provided follow-up astrometry of asteroid 2012 TC4. Image credit: INASAN / NASA" width="620" height="380" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">The 2-meter telescope at the Terksol Observatory provided follow-up astrometry of asteroid 2012 TC4. Image credit: INASAN / NASA</figcaption></figure>
Leaders at NASA — as well as many other scientists and intellectuals — have been concerned for some time about the possibility of <a href="https://futurism.com/no-a-huge-asteroid-probably-wont-wipe-out-humanity/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">large dangerous asteroids impacting Earth</a>. While such an occurrence may not wipe out all of humanity, it could certainly cause a great amount of damage and devastation.
To this end, NASA has developed ways to detect and <a href="https://futurism.com/nasa-is-moving-forward-with-its-plan-to-deflect-an-asteroid-from-earth/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">deflect hazardous asteroids</a>, and train other scientists to do the same. This particular exercise was especially important because it allowed the scientists to test our <a href="http://iawn.net/frequently-asked-questions/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">International Asteroid Warning Network</a>, the responsibility of which is to track dangerous asteroids.
<figure style="width: 820px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img class="wp-image-109578 size-large aligncenter" src="https://wp-assets.futurism.com/2017/11/AnnEclipse2pp-1200x777.jpg" alt="Image of Asteroid 2012 TC4 taken by the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope. Image Credit: NASA" width="820" height="530" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Image of Asteroid 2012 TC4 taken by the European Southern Observatory&#8217;s Very Large Telescope. Image Credit: NASA</figcaption></figure>
After months of planning, the exercise launched into high gear in July when astronomers at the European Southern Observatory&#8217;s Very Large Telescope <a href="https://futurism.com/an-asteroid-headed-our-way-is-about-to-test-nasas-planetary-defense-system/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">spotted the asteroid 2012 TC4</a> — a small, reflective asteroid that was on a path that passed close to Earth. The scientists chose TC4 as their target for the exercise, which was thereafter nicknamed the &#8220;TC4 Observation Campaign.&#8221;
<h2>Better Prepared for Dangerous Asteroids</h2>
As TC4 approached Earth, the scientists worked together to analyze the asteroid&#8217;s size, composition, and trajectory. Insuring that international communication channels were in place for fast and effective information sharing was a key aspect of the exercise.
&#8220;The 2012 TC4 campaign was a superb opportunity for researchers to demonstrate willingness and readiness to participate in serious international cooperation in addressing the potential hazard to Earth posed by [near-Earth objects],&#8221; said Boris Shustov, science director for the Institute of Astronomy at the Russian Academy of Sciences. &#8220;I am pleased to see how scientists from different countries effectively and enthusiastically worked together toward a common goal.&#8221;
<figure style="width: 820px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img class="wp-image-109579 size-large aligncenter" src="https://wp-assets.futurism.com/2017/11/TC4orbit-16-1-1200x676.jpg" alt="How 2012 TC4's heliocentric orbit has changed due to the 2012 and 2017 close encounters with Earth." width="820" height="461" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">How 2012 TC4&#8217;s heliocentric orbit has changed due to the 2012 and 2017 close encounters with Earth. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech</figcaption></figure>
The astronomers&#8217; observations allowed them to confirm that TC4 will not impact Earth in any of its future orbits. Additionally, they were able to determine the asteroid&#8217;s composition as well as its spinning and tumbling behavior, information that will be vital if we ever delve into <a href="https://futurism.com/asteroids-need-to-be-mapped-if-were-going-to-mine-their-resources/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">asteroid mining</a>.
The exercise&#8217;s finale occurred in October when TC4 made its closest approach to Earth, passing 43,780 kilometers (27,200 miles) over our heads.
<figure style="width: 820px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img class="wp-image-109581 size-large aligncenter" src="https://wp-assets.futurism.com/2017/11/First-1.gif.crdownload-1.gif" alt="Flight of Asteroid 2012 TC4. Image Credit: NASA" width="820" height="460" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Flight of Asteroid 2012 TC4. Image Credit: NASA</figcaption></figure>
NASA took this project as an opportunity to test its communication pathways within the U.S. government, sending messages across agencies and even through the executive branch. This simulation of a real impact emergency allowed the astronomy community to become &#8220;much better prepared today to deal with the threat of a potentially hazardous asteroid,&#8221; said Michael Kelley, TC4 exercise lead at NASA Headquarters in Washington.

Emergency infrastructure for asteroid impacts is in place.

Scientists complete the first international test of our ability to track dangerous asteroids

Hard Science

NASA and a international team of astronomers have in successfully simulated a dangerous asteroid emergency using the International Asteroid Warning Network.

Scientists Complete the First International Test of Our Ability to Track Dangerous Asteroids

It was a demonstration of "serious international cooperation in addressing the potential hazard to Earth posed by near-Earth objects."

<h2>Extra-Terrestrial Excavations</h2>
Last September, some of the world&#8217;s leading asteroid scientists and asteroid mining entrepreneurs were brought together for the Asteroid Science Intersections with In-Space Mine Engineering (ASIME) conference. Now, a <a href="https://phys.org/news/2017-09-asteroid.html" target="_blank">paper has been published</a> detailing the results of the event&#8217;s discussions about the best practices for mining asteroids.
Asteroids contain resources that can be used as propellant, building materials, and to keep life-support systems running. One potential application of asteroid mining is that space missions could <a href="https://futurism.com/why-asteroid-mining-is-integral-to-our-plans-for-colonizing-mars/" target="_blank">mine these materials</a> to secure new supplies without having to return to Earth.
However, this field is still in its infancy. A conference like ASIME is intended to push progress forward, highlighting gaps in what we currently know as well as compiling knowledge from the best minds working in this space.
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&#8220;Asteroid mining is this incredible intersection of science, engineering, entrepreneurship and imagination,&#8221; co-author Dr. JL Galache of Aten Engineering commented in a press release. &#8220;The problem is, it&#8217;s also a classic example of a relatively young scientific field in that the more we find out about asteroids through missions like Hayabusa and Rosetta, the more we realise that we don&#8217;t know.&#8221;
One priority is mapping known <a href="https://futurism.com/large-near-earth-asteroid-will-pass-earth-by-this-september/" target="_blank">near-Earth asteroids</a> that have an orbit similar to our planet, so that miners have a better idea of the location of their potential targets. The paper suggests that better access to relatively large telescopes is necessary for this to be possible.
We also need to know more about the relationship between asteroids and meteorites, so that there is a better understanding of which resources might be found in which asteroids.
<h2>Mining Money</h2>
<a href="https://futurism.com/humanitys-future-in-space-depends-on-asteroid-mining/" target="_blank">An end goal of asteroid mining research</a> is to allow the whole process to play out in space, including the application of the resources that are harvested. However, before that&#8217;s a reality, those materials will most likely be brought back down to Earth.
It&#8217;s thought that there could be billions or even trillions of dollars worth of metals like platinum, nickel, and gold floating around in space, locked away in asteroids. Various companies have already gotten wind of the potential profits, and as such, the likes of Planetary Resources and Deep Space Ventures are actively pursuing the possibility.
While work is being done to figure out how best to access these resources, there are still questions to be asked about <a href="https://futurism.com/ambiguous-laws-could-prevent-us-from-taking-full-advantage-of-celestial-resources/" target="_blank">who has the legal right</a> to mine materials from asteroids. While the US has introduced legislation that states mining asteroids is fair game, the <a href="http://www.unoosa.org/oosa/en/ourwork/spacelaw/treaties/introouterspacetreaty.html" target="_blank">1967 Outer Space Treaty</a> — which was signed by the US and 124 other nations — says otherwise.
As the practice of asteroid mining becomes more viable, the legal side of the matter is sure to be revisited.

Asteroids need to be mapped if we're going to mine their resources

Resources that could be used on space missions and here on Earth could potentially be mined from asteroids.

Asteroids Need to Be Mapped If We’re Going to Mine Their Resources

"Asteroid mining is this incredible intersection of science, engineering, entrepreneurship and imagination."

<h2>James Webb Space Telescope</h2>
The <a href="https://futurism.com/the-james-webb-space-telescope-will-utterly-transform-our-view-of-the-universe/">James Webb Space Telescope (JWST)</a>, heir to Hubble&#8217;s throne, is set to launch in October of 2018. The massive new telescope will hopefully continue Hubble&#8217;s legacy and push the boundaries of what has before been possible in space imaging. And, in exciting new news, <a href="https://jwst-docs.stsci.edu/display/JSP/JWST+GTO+Observation+Specifications#JWSTGTOObservationSpecifications-ObservationsofSolarSystemObjects" target="_blank">the first targets of the JWST</a> have been announced — and the list is long.
<figure style="width: 360px" class="wp-caption alignright"><a href="https://futurism.com/images/beyond-hubble-the-space-telescopes-tomorrow-infographic/"><img src="https://wp-assets.futurism.com/2016/03/Space-Telescope_home_v1.jpg" alt="The Space Telescopes of Tomorrow [Infographic]" ></a><figcaption class="wp-caption-text center"><a href="https://futurism.com/images/beyond-hubble-the-space-telescopes-tomorrow-infographic/" target="_blank">Click to View Full Infographic</a></figcaption></figure>
The Webb will observe the three largest low-albedo asteroids, as well as the <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2017/nasa-selects-mission-to-study-jupiter-s-trojan-asteroids">Trojan asteroids</a>, allowing us to peer into the origins of our solar system. It will also explore near-Earth objects, which could expand our knowledge and <a href="https://futurism.com/the-white-house-now-has-a-plan-for-handling-an-asteroid-disaster/" target="_blank">even protect the Earth</a>.
It will also investigate Jupiter&#8217;s <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/jupiter-s-great-red-spot-a-swirling-mystery">Great Red Spot</a>, <a href="https://arxiv.org/abs/1003.3240">Neptune&#8217;s south polar vortex</a>, geological phenomena on <a href="https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/saturn/moons">Saturn&#8217;s moons</a>, and the atmosphere on the planet itself. What is especially exciting to many is the Webb&#8217;s plans to explore exoplanets. By observing these far-off exoplanets passing across their parent star, researchers can determine if a planet has an atmosphere and then use that information to infer more about its composition — and potential for life.
<h2>Quest for Knowledge</h2>
The implications of the knowledge to be gained with the JWST are immense. The further exploration of exoplanets alone could reveal information about the potential for alien life and which worlds would be the best candidates for human colonization. Other observations that researchers plan to make with the telescope will help us to better understand the beginnings of our solar system.
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This is all, of course, significant scientifically. But better understanding of how objects and life in the universe form could, in turn, help us to better understand the laws of nature on Earth. The further we explore the distant corners of the universe, the more we will be able to make sense of the world around us. It will be exciting to follow the Webb&#8217;s journey as it slowly trades place with the iconic Hubble Space Telescope.

From exoplanets to asteroids, the James Webb Space Telescope's newly announced first targets will allow us to better understand this vast universe.

The First Targets of the James Webb Telescope Have Been Announced

Even just these first targets promise to drastically expand our knowledge of the Universe. 

<h2>IT HAPPENED BEFORE, IT CAN HAPPEN AGAIN</h2>
An asteroid impact is still the prime culprit behind the dinosaurs&#8217; extinction. Since then, asteroids have done a good job of avoiding the Earth.
We can&#8217;t be that lucky forever though, right? Should we ready ourselves for similar disasters? After all, asteroids still find their way here and manage to pass through our atmosphere, causing major damage.
In 1908, a <a href="http://earthsky.org/space/what-is-the-tunguska-explosion">meteorite explosion</a> occurred near the Tunguska River in Russia. The impact didn&#8217;t kill any humans, but cleared 2,070 square kilometers (800 square miles) of the Siberian forests. A more recent <a href="http://earthsky.org/space/chelyabinsk-meteor-mystery-3-years-later">explosion happened</a> last 2013 in Chelyabinsk city in Russia. The meteorite fell on a populated area, injuring about 1,200 people
These events are rare and are unlikely to happen again any time soon, but it does pay to be ready.
<h2>NO NEED TO PANIC</h2>
<figure style="width: 389px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img class="" src="https://wp-assets.futurism.com/2016/09/maxresdefault-5.jpg" alt="Image Source: IGN" width="389" height="218" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Image Source: IGN</figcaption></figure>
John Holdren, director of the White House&#8217;s <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/ostp">Office of Science and Technology Policy</a>, shared that NASA is on the lookout for the asteroids that are most likely to hit the earth. &#8220;We are not fully prepared, but we are on a trajectory to get much more so,&#8221; says Holdren.
By 2021, NASA aims to launch the <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/content/what-is-nasa-s-asteroid-redirect-mission">Asteroid Redirect Mission</a> (ARM), a robotic mission sending a space probe to visit a <a href="https://futurism.com/to-bennu-and-back-nasa-just-launched-the-first-ever-asteroid-return-mission/">near-Earth asteroid</a>. The robotic probe will explore the asteroid and look for the best way to change its path, aiming to send the asteroid orbiting our moon. Upon returning to Earth, the probe will bring with it samples of the asteroid for more studies.
The ARM cost $1.25 billion. But it&#8217;s all worth it if we can learn more about how to deal with meteor explosions, however rare they maybe. &#8220;If we are going to be as capable a civilization as our technology allows, we need to be prepared for even those rare events, because they could do a lot of damage to the Earth,&#8221; says Holdren.
Essentially, we have to be smarter than the dinosaurs.

Asteroids pose a major threat to the Earth, but NASA is on its way to figuring everything out about these space rocks. NASA will launch the Asteroid Redirect Mission, sending a robotic probe to deflect the asteroid from its dangerous path.

White House Science Chief: We Are Not Prepared for a Major Asteroid Event

Can we avoid the fate of the dinosaurs?

<h2>Our Young Earth</h2>
Let&#8217;s go back 4 billion years, when our solar system wasn&#8217;t exactly our solar system yet. The planets weren&#8217;t neatly formed in their orbits, and Earth was getting bombarded by meteors over and over and over again &#8211; for 200 million years.
This is what&#8217;s known as the &#8220;<a href="https://futurism.com/understanding-earths-late-heavy-bombardment/" target="_blank">Late Heavy Bombardment (LHB)</a>.&#8221; Around 22,000 space objects, including comets, hit Earth during the LHB. We could expect that events like these would prevent any sort of life from existing. The sheer number of impacts would wipe out anything (and everything).
But recent research has found that large comets ranging over 10 kilometers (6.2 mi) in radius might contain liquid water at their cores—the substance of life. Katharina Bosiek and her colleagues discovered that a thick layer of dust could protect the liquid from solar radiation.
This makes the theory of &#8220;<a href="https://helix.northwestern.edu/article/origin-life-panspermia-theory" target="_blank">panspermia</a>&#8221; (which suggests that life on Earth did not originate on our planet, but was transported here from somewhere else in the universe) more than mere skepticism. To clarify, this theory states that the substance of life exists in space within objects such as asteroids, meteoroids, and comets. And now we have new evidence to suggest that these objects could have seeded Earth with life.
Their findings are published in the journal <a href="http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/ast.2015.1354" target="_blank">Astrobiology</a>.
<h2>Life-Giving Comets</h2>
We also have NASA to thank for supporting this theory with their findings. In 2005, NASA scientists launched a 376 kg (820 pound) impactor at the Tempel 1 comet. The<a href="http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/deepimpact/main/"> Deep Impact probe</a> floated nearby  the impactor to capture the collision. And when the collision occurred, it sent an incredibly massive amount of dust and particulate matter spewing everywhere. What the Deep Impact probe found after the collision were silicates, carbonates, metal sulfides, amorphous carbon, hydrocarbons, and ice water.
<figure style="width: 318px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img style="width: 318px;" src="https://wp-assets.futurism.com/2016/04/121520main_HRI-Movie.gif" alt="" width="318" height="239" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Credit: NASA</figcaption></figure>
The Deep Impact mission provided evidence that frozen water, rock, and certain gases combined could create life. Could comets, when colliding with an object, release its life-giving substance and kickstart the organic process?
&#8220;Supposing comets were seeded with microbes at the time of their formation from pre-solar material, there would be plenty of time for exponential amplification and evolution within the liquid interior,&#8221; <a href="http://www.realclearscience.com/blog/2016/04/could_comets_contain_life.html" target="_blank">claimed Nalin Chandra Wickramasinghe</a>, a Cardiff University astrobiologist and one of the first supporters of the panspermia theory.
So that means that when a comet smashes into an object, it shatters and releases its &#8220;seed&#8221; into fertile ground, planting the components of life to grow and evolve. Recent research also suggests that the impact of organic compounds from the comet could form peptides &#8211; the building blocks of proteins.
With this supporting evidence, we could probably picture 4 billion years ago as being just a huge rainstorm of life. But it&#8217;s hard to imagine what could possibly exist in the vacuum of space that would contribute to its formation. Believe it or not, <a href="https://futurism.com/videos/meet-tardigrade-toughest-animal-earth/" target="_blank">some things can exist out there</a>.
If comets contain the building blocks of life, and it seems they do, there&#8217;s no reason to doubt that life exists outside of our solar system.

Scientists recently looked for the substance of life in one of the most extreme places in our solar system, and they found that these places could very well support processes necessary to create the building blocks of life. 

New Evidence That Comets Could Contain the Building Blocks Of Life

Large comets may have liquid cores, which raises new questions about life beyond Earth. 

<h5>The Breakthrough</h5>
In October 2020, the Asteroid Deflection &amp; Assessment (AIDA) mission is set to launch two spacecrafts to nudge an asteroid and see if its orbital path can be derailed. The mission will be a first in the study of the asteroid binary system and the first to see if an asteroid can be deflected via impact. The test will use the 160 meter wide target asteroid to see if, in principle, a larger earth-threatening asteroid can be deflected in the same manner.
<h5>The Implications</h5>
The collision is expected to occur by May 2022. A deeper understanding of asteroids and how they respond to collisions is needed in order to know the potentially hazardous effects on Earth. If the results of this experiment prove positive, then this method could be used to protect Earth from fatal asteroid collisions in the future.

If the planned collision is a success, then this might become our go-to method for protecting Earth from future asteroid collisions

/Asteroids

Crater Face

New Research: The Moon Is Covered With Miles-Deep Cracks

Metal Volcanoes

Explosive Research: Some Asteroids May Have Had Volcanoes

Paging Bruce Willis

Japan Announces Plan to Bomb Asteroid

Off World

Want To Snag A Job Mining Asteroids Someday? You Can Now Get Your Masters In It.

Hard Science

Scientists Complete the First International Test of Our Ability to Track Dangerous Asteroids

Off World

Asteroids Need to Be Mapped If We’re Going to Mine Their Resources

Off World

The First Targets of the James Webb Telescope Have Been Announced

Off World

White House Science Chief: We Are Not Prepared for a Major Asteroid Event

Off World

New Evidence That Comets Could Contain the Building Blocks Of Life

Off World

The US and Europe are planning to crash a spacecraft into an asteroid

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