Astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore joined NASA for a press conference on September 13 with updates about their stay in space. While addressing the world from the International Space Station (ISS), the duo acknowledged the situation they are in but said they are not disappointed.

🔴 LIVE: @NASA_Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams participate in a news conference from aboard the @Space_Station: https://t.co/R3ylT90887
— NASA Commercial Crew (@Commercial_Crew) September 13, 2024

Williams and Wilmore launched to the ISS on June 5 for an 8-day mission but the faults within their ride Starliner has forced them to stay longer. They were part of Boeing’s Crew Flight Test (CFT), the company’s debut mission with astronauts. Starliner returned empty on September 7 as it was too dangerous for the crew.

Meanwhile, the duo will continue living and working aboard the station and is now scheduled to return no earlier than February 2025.

ALSO SEE: Sunita Williams Is Exposed To Radiation Levels Equivalent To Getting Hundreds Of X-Rays; What Are The Risks?

‘This is my happy place’: Sunita Williams

Despite the disheartening scene of Starliner leaving without them, Williams wan’t discouraged and has described space as her “happy place.”

“This is my happy place. I love being up here in space,” she said at the press call.

Both astronauts stressed that they are not disappointed with their extended stay and that issues were expected since the CFT was a test flight. Wilmore also said that they had to make some decisions on a timeline as the unforeseen situation emerged.

“The timeline came to the point where we had to decide, is Starliner coming back with us or without us? And we just did not have enough time to get to the end of that runway where we could say that we were going to come back with it. I think we’d have gotten there, but we just ran out of time,” Wilmore said.

Since Starliner is no longer an option, NASA has planned to rescue the duo on SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft. It is launching two astronauts on the Crew-9 mission on September 25 who will return with Williams and Wilmore six months later.

“We’re excited to fly in two different spacecraft. I mean, we’re testers; that’s what we do,” said Williams about riding Dragon on her way back home.

ALSO SEE: NASA Reveals Astronauts For Crew-9 Mission To Rescue Sunita Williams

(Image: NASA)

Earth is about to get a new moon, at least for a while. This moon will actually be the asteroid 2024 PT5 discovered on August 7, 2024. It is around 10 meters (33 feet) in diameter and will be captured by Earth’s gravity from September 29 to November 25.

The asteroid will circle around Earth during this period but won’t complete a full orbit. After November 25, it will break free from Earth’s gravitational pull and continue orbiting the Sun.

Earth is about to gain a temporary mini-moon—asteroid 2024 PT5. Discovered on August 7, 2024, this asteroid is roughly 10 meters (33 feet) in diameter and will be captured by Earth’s gravity from September 29 to November 25, 2024.

During this time, the asteroid will loop around… pic.twitter.com/xDZERy3CsS
— Erika (@ExploreCosmos_) September 13, 2024

In a paper published in Research Notes of the American Astronomical Society, researchers explained how certain near-Earth objects (NEOs) can briefly become mini-moons. These objects, like 2024 PT5, approach Earth at a slow speed and are close enough for our planet’s gravity to temporarily capture them. However, they don’t stay long enough to make a full revolution around Earth.

Asteroid 2024 PT5 is a near-Earth object and belongs to the group that have orbits similar to Earth’s. Since its speed is low and is close to our planet, its trajectory easily gets influenced by bodies with heavier mass.

ALSO SEE: ISRO Plans To Study ‘God Of Chaos’ Asteroid Apophis During 2029 Flyby; ‘We Only Have One Earth’

During its brief visit, 2024 PT5 will offer scientists a unique opportunity to study how Earth’s gravity affects the paths of near-Earth objects. By understanding this interaction, astronomers can improve their predictions for finding asteroids that might be heading for a direct collision with our planet.

Researchers pointed out that this isn’t the first time Earth has captured a temporary moon. Another asteroid was temporarily captured by Earth between 1981 and 2022 during a flyby.

Mini-moons like 2024 PT5 are also of interest to those working in asteroid mining and space exploration. Because they are relatively close to Earth and accessible, they could be valuable targets for future missions aiming to study or even extract resources from asteroids.

ALSO SEE: ‘Asteroid’ That Triggered Panic Among Astronomers Turns Out To Be A Spacecraft; ‘Sorry About That’

(Image: NASA)

NASA has assured that there is no threat from asteroid Apophis which is set to fly past our planet in 2029. But a new study has come forth suggesting there is now a very slight chance it might collide with Earth.

Paul Wiegert, an astronomer at Canada’s Western University, has published a study in The Planetary Science Journal warning about a potential collision. He claims that there is a chance less than one in two billion that the 375-metres-wide Apophis may end up striking our planet, Futurism reported.

He took into account the collision of Apophis with smaller space rocks while on its way to Earth. The collisions, according to Weigert, may tweak Apophis’s trajectory sending it hurtling toward us. Apparently, other astronomers including those at NASA did not consider this possibility.

ALSO SEE: NASA Plans Bringing Shelved Janus Mission Back to Study Hazardous Asteroid Apophis

The scientist estimated that an asteroid just 11 feet wide could nudge it toward Earth for a collision in 2029 and smaller ones (about two feet wide) could cause a collision in 2036 or 2068.

But none of it is absolutely confirmed as Weigert says we’ll have to wait until 2027 to be absolutely sure. The expert underscored that it will be tricky to know if Apophis was struck by a smaller rock as the after-effects might soon dissipate.

Apophis, named after the Egyptian god of chaos and destruction, will be at its closest on April 13, 2029. Estimates suggest it will pass from a distance of about 32,000 kilometres and the European Space Agency (ESA) has announced Ramses mission to study it up close. NASA and ISRO are also planning to use this opportunity of studying the asteroid in order to ultimately strengthen planetary defense.

ALSO SEE: ISRO Plans To Study ‘God Of Chaos’ Asteroid Apophis During 2029 Flyby; ‘We Only Have One Earth’