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Scientists have suggested burying a nuclear bomb inside of an asteroid to help save us from destruction.
That is the recommendation of a new study that examines the options we have if an asteroid is headed towards Earth and could pose a danger to life on our planet.
There are no known asteroids that currently pose a threat to Earth any time in the future. But one could be discovered at any time, potentially leaving us with just a few days to save ourselves, and space rocks have already led to mass extinction events and other catastrophic events on Earth.
To respond to any possible threat, scientists are actively investigating ways of defending Earth from any such catastrophe.
One of the main forms of defence is destroying or redirecting any dangerous asteroid so that the danger could be avoided. But more traditional responses such as colliding with the asteroid could fail to have enough effect if we are only days away from destruction.
In the new study, researchers suggest that it may be the case that only a huge nuclear detonation could be enough to save us in some extreme circumstances.
It suggests a novel way of dealing with any such asteroid: planting a nuclear bomb into an asteroid and blowing it up.
In cases where we do not have enough time to fly by an asteroid and dig a hole in it, then a more traditional approach of hitting an asteroid directly may be necessary. But, if we have enough warning, then the new approach would be dramatically better at changing the course of the asteroid, they suggest.
That might be necessary in cases where the asteroid is so large – and its impact so potentially devastating – that we would need vast amounts of energy to ensure we are safe, the researchers suggest.
It would require sending a spacecraft to the asteroid, and dropping a convention device that would dig a deep crater into the asteroid. It would then guide a nuclear device into that creator and blow it up.
That would allow for a more precise point of impact with the asteroid, and much better transfer of energy, they say. But it is also much more complex and needs more warning time.
The work is reported in a new paper, ‘Analysis of Defense Technology for Large-Sized Near-Earth Asteroids’, published in the journal Space: Science & Technology.