Don Quijote mission

12.03.08

Rear-ending Rocks in Space

With test targets in sight, European scientists ramp up for the first-ever asteroid-deflection mission

By Gregory Mone Posted 01.01.2006 at 3:00 am 0 Comments

Despite its playful name, taken from Miguel de Cervantes´s classic novel, the European Space Agency´s Don Quijote mission is deadly serious. Slated for 2012, the $180-million mission will attempt to move one of two target asteroids, just identified this fall, by rear-ending it with a speeding spacecraft. Quijote is the first venture of its kind, although the B612 Foundation, a privately-funded nonprofit based in Tiburon, California, intends to launch a similar effort by 2015.

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speedy A Finish that Repairs Itself
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speedy Boeing Advanced Tactical Laser
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speedy A Spit Test for Heart Attacks
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