Hera Mission: A Giant Leap for Planetary Defense!
Today’s star is Hera (no, not the Greek goddess 😉), but the groundbreaking ESA space mission that launched on October 7, 2024, aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. For those who caught the launch—squeezed between a storm and a hurricane—what a wild ride, right? 🌪️🚀
In this episode, Torsten Kriening also had the chance to speak with Dr. Patrick Michel, Hera’s Principal Investigator, for some exclusive insights. We’re talking about Germany’s huge contribution to this mission, with German innovation leading the charge on planetary defense. 🇩🇪🚀
Hera is on a mission to study the Didymos asteroid system post-NASA’s DART mission, examining crater sizes, momentum transfer, and debris clouds. The goal? Testing ways to protect Earth from future asteroid threats! 🌍
But planetary defense isn’t just a local issue—it’s global. Shouldn’t saving the planet be everyone’s mission? 🚀 But it doesn’t stop there—Markus Mooslechner, the host of our Space Cafe Podcast, introduced the AI-powered https://HERA.SPACE companion, which lets YOU chat with the spacecraft in real-time! 🤯