A team of scientists has proposed building an “interstellar interceptor,” a spacecraft capable of getting up-close and personal with the next asteroid or comet to enter the solar system.
So far, astronomers have spotted two such objects whizzing through our star system: The cigar-shaped interstellar visitor ‘Oumuamua, which was first spotted in October 2017 and made headlines as a suspected alien probe, and the comet 2I/Borisov, which astronomers first spotted in August 2019.
Sending a probe to investigate interstellar objects would allow astronomers to photograph the space rocks’ surfaces more accurately and potentially even take samples of gases that seep out from comet interlopers like 2I/Borisov. However, by the time telescopes detect such interstellar objects, it is too late to design, build and launch a spacecraft to chase after them, so these travellers end up sailing through our star system and taking most of their secrets with them when they leave.
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