From Rocks to Rescue: The Science of Asteroids and Planetary Defense with Dr. Patrick Michel

Dr. Patrick Michel, senior researcher at CNRS and global fellow at the University of Tokyo, discusses how our understanding of asteroids has evolved dramatically since the mid-1990s. Early research relied on reflected light observations, but space missions have revealed asteroids as complex geological worlds with diverse shapes and structures. Patrick reflects on this transition from limited knowledge to groundbreaking missions that reveal the intricate features of these celestial bodies. 

The episode also covers Asteroid Day, celebrated annually on June 30th, which commemorates the 1908 Tunguska event when an asteroid explosion destroyed a large area of Siberian forest. 

Moreover, Patrick recounts the successful DART mission, which tested asteroid deflection techniques and demonstrated humanity's first deliberate alteration of a celestial body's trajectory. He introduces also the Hera mission, designed to investigate the aftermath of the DART impact on asteroid Dimorphos, gathering crucial data on asteroid composition and structure.

USEFUL LINKS

Hera mission - https://www.heramission.space/

More about Dr. Patrick Michel - https://www.oca.eu/michel/

DART mission - https://science.nasa.gov/mission/dart/

NASA’s OSIRIS-REx - https://science.nasa.gov/mission/osiris-rex/

Asteroid Foundation - https://asteroidfoundation.org/