China intends to capture asteroids that pull down to Earth

Scientists conceived the idea of ​​making a spacecraft with a heat shield and a giant bag to bring asteroids back into research.

Astrophysicists have come up with a new plan in the future technology competition held in Shenzhen, China, Tech Times reported on July 26. Accordingly, the spacecraft equipped with a large carrying bag will bring back a small asteroid and land safely in an uninhabited place.

Asteroids may contain abundant minerals such as gold, platinum, copper, iron and nickel.

"Unlike the take-back sampling missions, we aim to bring down an asteroid weighing several hundred tons. This can turn an asteroid capable of endangering the Earth into a resource. The utility, " said Li Mingtao, a researcher at the National Space Science Center at the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

This idea can bring new developments in space exploration, according to Huang Wei, an engineer at the Space Technology Institute of China Aerospace Science and Technology Group.

The project will face many challenges. First, scientists need to find a suitable asteroid. Most small asteroids are difficult to detect unless approaching Earth.

To solve this problem, Li is working with engineers at Qian Xuesen Space Technology Laboratory to develop satellite systems with the aim of finding and analyzing objects near Earth about 10 meters in diameter. They also have to design heat shields that can reduce the asteroid's speed from more than 44,500km / h to 500km / h.

Li and his colleagues are paying attention to a small asteroid about 100 million kilometers from Earth, more than 6 meters in diameter and can weigh several hundred tons. Before starting the plan, they need to determine its composition. Asteroids may contain abundant minerals such as gold, platinum, copper, iron and nickel. The team hopes to deploy the 2029 plan and bring a small asteroid to Earth no later than 2034.