Apophis project

Abstract

One of the most important areas in astrodynamics is the study of asteroids. These celestial bodies are not necessarily spherical and, because of their reduced size, they are not classified as planets. Among the Near Earth Asteroids (NEA), one of which has aroused great interest of the scientific community recently is the "99942 Apophis. Discovered in mid-2004, it has become one of the most targeted and studied celestial bodies, due to the concern caused by the high probability of colliding with Earth, which can occur in 2036, as a result of its very close fly by to the planet to occur in 2029 (at less than 2000 km). This research project proposes a complete study of the asteroid Apophis, including an analysis of its trajectory after 2029. To do so, with the use of modeling and simulation, the possible trajectories will be propagated in time, in order to identify the worst and the best possible cases, in terms of the risk of collision with the Earth. The analysis and interpretation of data will be made from the evaluation of deviations calculated on the asteroid's trajectory due to close fly by with the Earth. The comparison with existing data in the sector will also be used for validation purposes. With the results of the proposed study, this project intends to contribute to the better understanding of the asteroid and the real danger that its approach represents. (AU)