No, this is not the title of a sequel to what is probably the first novel in history. In this case, Don Quijote is the name of a space mission that will be launched in 2007 or later by the European Space Agency (ESA). The goal of this mission is to check if it's possible to modify the trajectory of an asteroid before it becomes a threat to Earth. The Don Quijote mission will use two spacecrafts, Sancho, which will observe one asteroid, while the second, Hidalgo, will hit it at a very high relative speed. The ESA has selected two asteroids as targets and will decide about the space technology used for this future mission in 2006. This sure looks like science fiction. But can it be dangerous if the targeted asteroid moves in a 'wrong' direction? The ESA and other experts worldwide says no. Read more...
Sources: European Space Agency news release, September 26, 2005; and various web sites
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8:36:02 PM
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