A new study games out a mission to intercept an interstellar object in space and get a close-up look to see just what its made of. Scientists are working out the best way to intercept objects that zoom into our solar system from interstellar space, an effort that could provide close-up views of entities that hail from alien star systems. Sending spacecraft to catch up with these interstellar objects, and potentially capture images of them from distances of just a few hundred miles, could reveal important details about their composition, evolution, and their origin beyond our solar neighborhood, reports a new study. It’s been only five years since the discovery of the first known interstellar visitor—a mysterious 300-foot-wide object known as ‘Oumuamua—which was spotted traveling through the solar system in October 2017. In addition to its sheer novelty, ‘Oumuamua was something of an oddball that puzzled scientists, especially because it underwent a sudden speed boost that still remains unexplained. Scientists including the Harvard astronomer Avi Loeb has famously suggested that it may have been a piece of alien technology… (READ MORE)

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