What are some ideas scientists have for stopping an asteroid from colliding with Earth? Which do you think is a better idea and why?
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How Do You Stop a Hypothetical Asteroid From Hitting Earth? NASA's On It.
By Meghan Bartels May 02, 2019
We'll have to deflect a space rock someday. It's just a question of when.
An artist's depiction of how nuclear detonations could edge a hazardous asteroid out of Earth's path.
An artist's depiction of how nuclear detonations could edge a hazardous asteroid out of Earth's path. (Image credit: NASA)
COLLEGE PARK, Md. — Imagine humans get eight years of warning that a large asteroid might be on a collision course with Earth. Could we do anything about it?
Right now, scientists don't know of any space rocks on track to cause serious damage to Earth in the foreseeable future. But if they spot one, they'd rather have a headstart in protecting people — so they're practicing by designing missions to a hypothetical threatening asteroid. The exercise is part of the International Academy of Astronautics' Planetary Defense Conference being held here this week.
For the exercise, NASA experts have designed a scenario in which scientists in March 2019 discover an asteroid that could impact Earth in April 2027. It's a fictional but realistic scenario, fully fleshed out so that scientists, engineers, policymakers and emergency-management experts can work through questions and concerns that might arise if scientists ever do identify such a threat.