The Gifted Four were spending a night under the stars. The Mysticland sky was expected to boast a meteor shower.
Orak lit up, “This reminds me of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) new space surveyor! Called the NEO (Near-Earth Object) surveyor, this telescope will be sent into space to look at asteroids in the Solar System.”
“Are asteroids and meteors different,” Verum asked
“Yes, Verum. Asteroids are basically rocky objects revolving around the sun. They are too small to be called planets. Meteors are bits and pieces of asteroids that break off and fall on Earth. They burn as they enter Earth’s atmosphere,” Orak explained.
“I see. Why do humans need a surveyor like NEO?” Scorch prompted.
“They do, Scorch. Earth is always at risk. Millions of small and big asteroids exist in the solar system. When they get close to Earth, they can cause harm to human life,” Orak said.
“Oh, right! That’s how dinosaurs became extinct on Earth – because of a big asteroid impact,” Felix recollected.
“Yes! Humans have learned from the Earth’s past. NASA’s NEO Surveyor mission will discover and catalog at least 90% of the near-Earth objects that are greater than 140 meters in length and come within 30 million miles of Earth’s orbit. NASA even has a mission for defending Earth against threatening asteroids. That mission is called DART,” Orak added.
“When will this surveyor be ready,” Verum asked.
“It recently passed technical checks and is planned to be built by June 2028,” Orak answered.
“Wow! That will be interesting!” Felix smiled.