The huge asteroid Apophis passes near the Earth on Friday the 13th in 2029. For scientists, it's a lucky day

COLLEGE PARK, Md. – The solar system has a sense of humor: in ten years, on Friday April 13, 2029, a big asteroid will crisscross the sky – but it's a cause of excitement, not fear, say the scientists.

This asteroid, called Apophis, stretches for about 340 meters and will pass less than 31,000 kilometers from the surface of the Earth. It may sound scary, but scientists are certain it will not touch the Earth. Instead, scientists have a unique chance to truly understand asteroids close to the Earth.

"The excitement is that an object of this size comes to this point about once in a thousand years, so it's a question of knowing what's the opportunity?" Richard Binzel, scientist in planetary sciences at MIT, said yesterday (April 30) at the Global Defense Aviation Conference of the International Academy of Aeronautics, which is being held here this week. The proximity and size of the asteroid will also add to the brightness of the encounter, so Apophis will catch the eye – about 2 billion people should be able to see it pass to the naked eye, he said.

Related: The huge asteroid Apophis unveiled in photos

And of course, scientists have 10 years to plan before the space rock approaches closer. This means that they have the time to draw up a wish list of what they would like to learn, to settle what can be approached from Earth and to imagine space craft designs. likely to give them a place at the forefront of the parade.

Although scientists believe that Apophis will not touch the Earth in 2029, they can not yet rule out possible collisions in the coming decades and there are many other large space rocks orbiting the Sun in the vicinity of Earth. Experts in planetary defense follow these objects and prepare techniques that could deflect those who pose a threat. And the data collected on Apophis could shed some light on what scientists know about these other asteroids, because this particular space rock appears to be similar to about 80% of the potentially dangerous asteroids inventoried to date by scientists.

Related: The asteroid Apophis offers a close shave in 2029 (infographic)

Asteroid scientists and planetary defense experts have already begun this work, with a series of conference presentations highlighting topics they would like to address until the Apophis 2029 hovers.

This proposed research bridges the gap between the two disciplines and poses questions that are applicable both to the interests of humanity and to our understanding of the solar system in which we live. Take, for example, the inner structure of Apophis, which would be an essential piece of information for engineers to understand if they want to try to break the space rock or to push back its collision path out of the Earth. But this information would also provide clues to the formation of Apophis.

"You could argue, is there a science or a planetary defense?" Said Binzel. "But there is no argument, it's one and the same thing."

A key topic of interest is the extent to which the Earth gravitational attraction can deform Apophis during the close approach of 2029. Some scientists believe that previous flybys would also have allowed to stretch the space and that other asteroids could be affected in the same way during their approaches close together.

Asteroid scientists also have a vital question for planetary defense experts: the extent to which solar radiation orients the orbit of Apophis. This phenomenon, called the Yarkovsky effect, results from the temperature difference between the day and night sides of the asteroid.

Related: It's time to take the threat of asteroids seriously, says NASA chief

The changes caused by the Yarkovsky effect on the orbit of an asteroid are so minimal that scientists find it hard to distinguish between thumbs and hiccups from the instrument. Although scientists have identified the trajectory of Apophis in 2029 in a trajectory only 12 km wide, it can not exclude any potential impact in the coming decades – and this partly because of uncertainty about Yarkovsky effect.

In addition to identifying some key priorities for the next decade, scientists also discussed high-level mission concepts that could pave the way for the satellite to travel to Apophis before, during, or after its close-up approach.

The successes of the past year have put engineers on a good foundation for such missions: NASA Mars InSight Mission placed the first seismometer deployed robotically on another planet. The first interplanetary cubesats flew with this spaceship as MarCO Mission. And OSIRIS-REx from NASA and Hayabusa2 from Japan have excelled at operating near small asteroids.

Pieces of all these missions appeared during discussions about what scientists could send to Apophis. Several speakers discussed the possibilities offered by Cubesat missions, including twin-pair missions, as did MarCO.

Scientists have also advanced the idea of ​​installing a seismometer on the rock – a design impale Apophis like a harpoon – to capture tiny vibrations through the rock that could help scientists understand the structure. interior of Apophis and its impact on Earth's gravity. Among the ideas is also a mission that would create an artificial crater on Apophis, as Hayabusa2 just did it on an asteroid called Ryugu, to see below the altered surface of the asteroid.

Some of these ideas may be too risky to be worth, however, since scientists would need to know that the maneuvers would not risk interfering with the current and safe trajectory of Apophis. "We need to be very careful because this specific object will be subject to intense public and even political pressure to do nothing to change its orbit," said James Bell, Planetary Scientist at Cornell University. "That said, it's an opportunity for NASA and other space agencies to become the public relations event of the decade."

And it's the right balance that asteroid scientists and global defense experts will have to achieve over the next decade – making the most of the scientific and educational opportunities offered by Apophis. without causing panicor worse, accidentally creating a really dangerous situation where there was none before.

"The world will look," Binzel said. "It's up to us to prepare ourselves."

Email Meghan Bartels to [email protected] or follow her @meghanbartels. follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.