The International Science Council Learned About the Asteroid Safety Project

As part of the program for the SUSU International Science Council’s meeting a new event was held: presentation of the block “Engineering Science” for the delegation of international scientists. Representatives of our university touched on a global issue and brought the delegates’ attention to the development of one of the breakthrough areas of university by the university: global asteroid safety (Aerospace Engineering Project).

In the presentation, which consisted of 5 parts, SUSU researchers thoroughly and clearly defined the essence of each of the research projects:

  • I Composite materials used to create light constructions for spacecraft and defense of spacecraft crew;
  • II Mathematical simulation of interaction between solid matter and asteroids and a heterogenous environment;
  • III Spacecraft control and navigation algorithms to guarantee protection from meteor showers;
  • IV Development of an effective system engines for flight control;
  • V Complex techniques for producing metal-matrix composite materials;

The university’s guests got to know the projected means for defending the planet from astronomical bodies and the means for realizing these projects. In his speech, a SUSU professor reminded guests that the university faced damages from a falling meteorite on February 15th 2013. From head of the SUSU Center of Material Sciences and Nanotechnology, doctor of technical sciences, professor Sergey Sapozhnikov:

“I believe that this project was of interest to attendees, because it affects everyone. We formed a comprehensive task which consists of a number of university projects. It can be realized as part of the need to solve such a big issue as asteroid safety, not in 100 years, but in the near future.”

SUSU researchers suggested methods to correct the flight trajectory for astronomical bodies and the possibility of destroying meteorites using powerful spacecraft. As the speakers noted, these large-scale problems can be solved with productive international cooperation between organizations.


In 2016 the topic of asteroid safety is one of the most important. There is high probability of the asteroid Apophis coming very close to Earth in 13 years.

 

Photo by Oleg Igoshin
Contact person: 
Kseniya Mashkova
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