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Asteroid capture is an orbital insertion of an asteroid around a larger planetary body. When asteroids, small rocky bodies in space, are captured, they become natural satellites , [ 1 ] [ failed verification – see discussion ] specifically either an irregular moon if permanently captured, or a temporary satellite .
Asteroid mining is the hypothetical extraction of materials from asteroids and other minor planets, including near-Earth objects. [1] Notable asteroid mining challenges include the high cost of spaceflight, unreliable identification of asteroids which are suitable for mining, and the challenges of extracting usable material in a space environment.
469219 Kamoʻoalewa (/ k ə ˌ m oʊ ʔ oʊ ə ˈ l ɛ v ə /), [6] provisionally designated 2016 HO 3, is a very small elongated asteroid, fast rotator and near-Earth object of the Apollo group, approximately 40–100 meters (130–330 feet) in diameter.
The small asteroid, measuring about a metre across, did not pose a threat to life. It was the third space rock detected imminently before impacting the Earth this year, but only the tenth on record.
An asteroid streaked past northern Siberia in the middle of the night Tuesday before burning up in Earth's atmosphere, lighting up the skies with a blinding flash, dramatic video shows.
The capture of an asteroid from a heliocentric orbit is not always permanent. According to simulations, temporary satellites should be a common phenomenon. [18] [19] The only observed examples are 1991 VG, 2006 RH 120, 2020 CD 3. 2006 RH 120 was a temporary satellite of Earth for nine months in 2006 and 2007. [20] [21]
Evidence for the natural process of satellite capture has been found in direct observation of objects captured by Jupiter. Five such captures have been observed, the longest being for approximately twelve years. Based on computer modelling, the future capture of comet 111P/Helin-Roman-Crockett for 18 years is predicted to begin in 2068.
Jupiter is the most massive planet in the Solar System, and because of its large mass it has a vast sphere of gravitational influence, the region of space where an asteroid capture can take place under favorable conditions. [123] Jupiter is able to capture comets in orbit around the Sun with a certain frequency. In general, these comets travel ...