APOPHIS 2029 INNOVATION LISTENING WORKSHOP (NASA), Feb 7, 2024, DC, 9:00 am ET

NASA will hold “listening sessions” on February 7, 2024 in the Washington DC area “to explore innovative approaches for a low-cost mission to the asteroid Apophis.”

The event begins with an overview at NASA HQ from 9:00-11:00 am ET. That will be followed by one-on-one discussions with individuals or organizations about their innovative ideas.

More information on how to participate is in the NASA announcement.

NASA says there will NOT be a virtual option.

The asteroid Apophis will make a close approach to Earth on April 13, 2029 within about 20,000 miles/32,000 kilometers of the Earth’s surface. Scientists want to learn as much as they can about Apophis. Although that’s close enough to be studied by ground-based telescopes, they also want space-based observations. The main section of NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft that returned samples from the asteroid Bennu in September is still in space (only the capsule containing the samples landed in Utah) and will rendezvous with and orbit Apophis after the asteroid passes Earth. The mission has been renamed OSIRIS-Apophis Explorer or OSIRIS-APEX.

Scientists also want to observe Apophis before it reaches Earth, however, so they can compare how the asteroid changes as result of its interaction the Earth’s environment.  This workshop solicits ideas on how to accomplish that goal.