The concept of an Earth shield is something you’d find in a typical sci-fi film. The idea of a round dome shielding humanity as we drift through space is quite exciting when you think about it. But is it possible? The answer may shock you, as it has many, but NASA is on the move to build the world’s first Earth shield, and is set to be tested sooner than you think.
Long in the shadow: NASA announces hidden plan to protect Earth
Earth, our home, orbits endlessly and precariously through space. Space, as we know it, is not blank; it’s a vast vacuum filled with countless planet-sized rocks and objects drifting aimlessly through space. Understanding these two analogies makes us ponder the question: How safe is our Earth as it orbits space?
This is the same question that NASA’s Planetary Defense Coordination Office (PDCO) has been investigating lately. The division has spent the last years observing hundreds of rocky asteroids and comets as they approach our planet. If these objects collide with us, according to NASA, they can cause a regional, if not global, catastrophe.
These observatory dances escalated when NASA discovered a new comet, 31/ATLAS. This comet, discovered by PDCO, was believed to exhibit strange behaviors and make its closest approach by December 29, 2025. This made NASA release a full-scale underground mission called the Planetary Defense Network (PDN) to combat this threat.
Inside NASA’s Earth shield and the mystery of comet 31/ATLAS
The planetary Defense Coordination Office first discovered this celestial comet on Jul 1. Upon initiation observation, the comet was set to be the size of Manhattan; it was seen to display alien tech and exhibit many unusual behaviors that comets had never been seen to have. This led NAS to add it to its list of the International Asteroid Warning Network (IAWN).
The strange behaviors observed by 31/ATLAS included a jet of particles towards the sun, a form of anti-tail phenomenon. It was also seen to expel a plume of nickel alloy called nickel tetracarbonyl. The comet expelled 4 grams of nickel per second, and this was without any iron metal, just like this strange shape-shifting object approaching Earth.
This was why NASA launched an ‘Earth shield’ mission to protect the planet. Now this is not a dome around Earth’s diameter, but instead it is a combination of telescopes, radar systems, satellites, and machine learning systems. This mission aims to create an automatic dart system where a spacecraft would detect a threat and deflect it.
Perusing other foreign space agencies that have partnered with NASA
To share their support for NASA and Earth in general, space agencies like the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) have partnered with NASA to combat this threat. The success of this Earth shield system heavily determines the fate of humanity on December 29.
NASA advances its mission amid public reaction
The nature and proceedings of this threat are not without rumors. Despite the efforts of NASA to keep this mission underground and a secret, the curiosity of the public has lost its wit. Hundreds of online forums have categorized it as the real Armageddon trial. Conspiracy theorists have also begun swelling and exaggerating concerns about the poor masses.
One might begin to wonder: What is NASA doing to contain this? Everything! NASA, together with the government of the United States, has begun rigorous testing to build this Earth shield. Also, there are speculations that NASA might team up with SpaceX for vehicular supplies and satellites. For many decades before now, our planet has depended heavily on luck to survive planetary threats such as the Earth’s mysterious anomaly, alarming global stability. If this ‘Earth shield’ mission goes as planned, it will be the first time Earth will be able to defend itself from interplanetary collisions.