NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) are making preparations for the imminent approach of asteroid 99942 Apophis, a near-Earth object.

Apophis, an asteroid considered highly dangerous to Earth, will approach within 32,000 kilometers (20,000 miles) of the Earth’s surface in 2029. This close encounter will allow scientists to closely examine the object. The asteroid will be visible from the Eastern Hemisphere without the need for a telescope or binoculars, and it will be closer than some of our man-made satellites.

At the ESA-organized workshop Apophis T-5 Years: Knowledge Opportunity for the Science of Planetary Defense, scientists have been proposing potential missions to investigate the asteroid prior to the close approach.

NASA has already scheduled a visit to the asteroid, which is known as OSIRIS APEX. The objective is to reutilize the asteroid sampler previously referred to as OSIRIS-REx, deploying it to rendezvous with the asteroid soon after its close passage.

“According to NASA, the planned mission is expected to result in the alteration of the asteroid’s orbit, changes in its rotational speed and axis, and the potential occurrence of quakes or landslides that will modify its surface due to the gravitational pull of our planet,” NASA explains. The OSIRIS-APEX mission will enable terrestrial scientists to observe these alterations. In addition, the OSIRIS-APEX spacecraft will descend towards the surface of Apophis, an asteroid composed of silicate material (also known as rocky material) and a combination of metallic nickel and iron. It will then activate its engines to dislodge loose rocks and dust. This maneuver will provide scientists with a glimpse into the composition of the material located directly beneath the surface of the asteroid.

According to Space News, private companies presented alternative missions for the asteroid at the ESA meeting.

Blue Origin plans to utilize its Blue Ring spacecraft to transport a maximum of 13 payloads, weighing a combined total of 2 metric tons, to the asteroid. The launch is scheduled for 2027, with the spacecraft reaching the asteroid just before it comes closest to Earth. Meanwhile, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory presented the details of its DROID mission, which focuses on distributed radar observations of interior distributions.

JPL explains in a proposal that the architecture of DROID requires a specific launch of three spacecraft: a Mothership of ESPA Grande-class and two CubeSats. The Mothership transports the CubeSats to Apophis, follows a planned trajectory to meet up with them, captures detailed images using a specialized camera, and serves as a communication hub for the constellation by directly relaying data to Earth. After thoroughly characterizing Apophis’s physical attributes, such as its shape, spin, and gravity field, the Mothership releases two CubeSats. Each CubeSat is equipped with a wide-angle camera and low-frequency radar (operating at 60 MHz, using JuRa technology). These CubeSats then position themselves in synchronized low orbits to conduct radar observations using both monostatic and bistatic techniques.

Although the flyby of Apophis is expected to provide valuable insights into planetary defense against similar objects, there is no reason to be alarmed by its presence.

In 2021, Apophis conducted a close approach to Earth, during which astronomers conducted high-resolution radar observations to more accurately determine its orbital path. Prior to that, NASA held the belief that there was a possibility of a collision occurring later in the century. However, the observations conducted have definitively disproven this hypothesis.

“The possibility of a 2068 impact is no longer feasible,” stated Davide Farnocchia, an expert from NASA’s Center for Near-Earth Object Studies. “Our calculations indicate that there is no risk of impact for at least the next 100 years.”

NASA’s Psyche mission is currently en route to investigate an unusual asteroid, and while in transit, the mission team has been conducting trials of a novel communication system. The novel methodology employs an infrared laser instead of radio waves, and it has recently demonstrated its efficacy from the farthest location to date. The message was sent when Psyche was located at a distance of 226 million kilometers (140 million miles) from Earth. That is equivalent to 1.5 astronomical units, which is the distance between the Earth and the Sun.

Psyche was transmitting its engineering data via radio waves using NASA’s Deep Space Network. For the first time, the mission team made the decision to transmit the data using the Deep Space Optical Communication system. The previous transmissions did not contain spacecraft data but rather test data.

During the April 8 test, it was demonstrated that data could be downloaded at a maximum rate of 25 Mbps, even from that distance. This already exceeds the anticipated target of “at least 1 Mbps” and is 10 to 100 times swifter than radio transmissions.

“During a pass on April 8, we received approximately 10 minutes of replicated spacecraft data through downlink,” stated Meera Srinivasan, the operations lead for the project at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). Previously, we had been transmitting test and diagnostic data through our downlinks from Psyche. This marks a noteworthy achievement for the project as it demonstrates the integration of optical communications with a spacecraft’s radio frequency communications system.

In previous tests, the spacecraft was positioned at a much shorter distance, specifically tens of millions of kilometers. Photographs and even a video featuring a cat were transmitted from the far reaches of outer space. The technology exhibits potential, yet there remain a few issues that require resolution. Clouds obstruct optical observations, preventing them from being conducted. This issue doesn’t affect radio communications.

“We have gained extensive knowledge about the system’s limits through our experiments during clear weather conditions. However, occasional storms have caused disruptions in operations at both Table Mountain and Palomar,” stated Ryan Rogalin, the receiver electronics lead of the project at JPL.

In June, the team will conduct another round of testing on the system when Psyche is located at a distance from the Sun that is 2.5 times greater than the distance between Earth and the Sun. This represents the utmost distance separating Mars and Earth. If the approach is successful, it could enable the establishment of a data-intensive network connecting Earth and Mars.

A novel approach to diamond production eliminates the need for extreme temperatures and pressures, thus making it possible to create diamonds at a significantly reduced cost. The world of precise crystal manipulation, as depicted in the science fiction novel The Diamond Age, may be within reach sooner than anticipated.

Despite our knowledge of synthetic diamond production dating back to the 1950s, the prevailing method still involves subjecting materials to extreme temperatures of 1,300–1,600 °C (2,400–2,900 °F) and applying 50,000 atmospheres of pressure for a period of 5–12 days. This has been instrumental in meeting the industrial demand for diamonds as cutting instruments while also offering unique colors for those with a preference for rare hues. Nevertheless, the expense of the procedure is comparable to that of discovering natural diamonds, whether for industrial use or as high-quality gemstones, which allows the mining industry to persist.

There might be a significant shift on the horizon as a method to produce diamonds under normal atmospheric pressure has been unveiled. The temperatures remain high at 1,025 °C (1,877 °F), but even at this level, significant savings can be achieved compared to the current heat requirements.

Low-pressure diamonds were once considered a paradoxical concept. Natural diamonds form deep within the Earth’s mantle under immense pressure from layers of crust above, and many of them were created long before complex life forms existed. The synthetic version utilizes liquid metal catalysts, but high pressures in the gigapascal range are still deemed necessary.

Nevertheless, scientists at Korea’s Institute for Basic Science have challenged this notion by demonstrating that diamonds can be grown using a liquid metal alloy of gallium, iron, nickel, and silicon, even without applying significant pressure in a hydrogen/methane atmosphere. The carbon in the diamond is derived from methane.

“This groundbreaking achievement was made possible through human creativity, persistent dedication, and the collaborative efforts of numerous contributors,” Professor Rod Ruoff stated. He omitted a significant amount of trial and error, which the team at the Institute employed while fine-tuning the combination of metals and other variables. When the team switched to a smaller chamber, they were able to make real progress in a surprisingly short amount of time, even though making the diamond itself was a quick process.

After extensive research, it was discovered that the diamonds tend to form at the lower part of the liquid alloy consisting of 77.75 percent gallium, 0.25 percent silicon, and 11 percent each of iron and nickel. It’s not a ratio that comes to mind right away. In addition, seed particles are not necessary for the production of these synthetic diamonds, unlike traditional methods.

“One day, when I conducted the experiment, subsequently cooled the graphite crucible to solidify the liquid metal, and extracted the solidified piece, I observed a fascinating pattern resembling a rainbow that extended over a few millimeters on the bottom surface of this piece,” shared graduate student Yan Gong. “We discovered that the colors of the rainbow are caused by diamonds!”

The process typically takes around 10 to 15 minutes to initiate diamond formation, with growth ceasing after approximately 150 minutes. However, the team is actively exploring methods to address this limitation.

The diamonds produced thus far are of a smaller size, resembling a film rather than a precious gemstone. As a result, diamond companies do not need to be overly concerned at this point. That could potentially change if scientists discover ways to enhance the supersaturated carbon layer that comes before the formation of diamonds. The silicon vacancy, which is highly sought after for creating colored diamonds, can also be created by nitrogen impurities. This characteristic makes these diamonds perfect for conducting experiments in the field of quantum computing.

The exact reasons behind the desired outcome of this particular combination of metals and gases remain a subject of ongoing investigation. The resemblance between silicon and carbon bonds is believed to play a crucial role. It is possible that carbon clusters containing silicon atoms could act as precursors to diamonds.

Mass production rarely relies on the initial iteration of a process demonstrated in a laboratory. According to Ruoff, there are several lower melting point metals that could be beneficial in terms of cost reduction or in creating diamonds with specific shades or properties.

The study has been published in the prestigious journal Nature.