Scientists are planning a Nasa mission that will land on an asteroid which has a slim chance of colliding the earth in 2182, according to a report on Monday. Astronomers have already warned that a giant asteroid, identified as 1999 RQ36, might hit the earth in 2182 resulting in an explosion equivalent to hundreds of nuclear bombs detonating at once. In a bid to avoid such a catastrophe, some scientists are already making plans to send a mission to 1999 RQ36 to collect a sample of it to help better predict its future trajectory.
“If it gets the go-ahead from a cash-strapped Nasa, the spacecraft would blast off in 2106 with the aim of mapping and collecting rock samples from the asteroid,” the Daily Mail reported.
“The mission, called OSIRIS-Rex (Origins Spectral Interpretation Resource Identification Security Regolith Explorer) is one of two finalists in competition for funding as part of Nasa’s New Frontiers programme,” the report said. The other contender for funding is a mission to land on Venus. The winner will be announced next year, it said.