NASA races against time to protect Earth from planet-destroying Asteroids

Houston, description.com – The US Space Agency (NASA) is racing against time to prepare a dangerous plan to stop an asteroid that could destroy the Earth.

NASA is developing plans to protect Earth from “planet-killing” asteroids by considering launching a large fleet of space probes or even using nuclear weapons to stop the threat. is coming in.

Although there is no immediate threat from asteroids in the next century, NASA is preparing for worst-case scenarios through simulations and experiments aimed at changing the trajectory of the dangerous space rocks.

In 2023, NASA released the National Preparedness Strategy and Action Plan for Near-Earth Objects and Planetary Threats and Protection, which outlines measures to prevent global destruction from near-Earth objects ( NEO).

The plan focuses on two main strategies, that is using spacecraft to push the asteroid off course, or using nuclear explosions as a last resort.

Although there is unlikely to be a major asteroid strike in the near future, NASA scientists believe that thousands of large, yet undiscovered asteroids could be lurking in our solar system.

Some of these asteroids, which are more than a mile wide, have the potential to cause massive destruction across the planet if they hit Earth.

NASA has tested its first line of defense with a kinetic fist, which is a spacecraft designed to crash into an asteroid and redirect.

In September 2022, NASA conducted the US $325 million Double Asteroid Redirect Test (DART) mission, sending the Hera spacecraft to impact a 580-foot-wide asteroid named Dimorphos, which orbits the asteroid Didymos.

Although neither poses a threat to Earth, the experiment was able to slow Dimorphos’ orbit by up to 30 minutes. This marks NASA’s first successful attempt to change the path of an asteroid.

However, this approach has its own challenges. Experts warn that a violent impact could cause particles of the celestial body to move in unexpected directions, presenting an increased risk.

To defend a larger asteroid with a diameter of about 2,000 feet (609 meters) almost 100 rockets would have to be launched at the same time. For even larger asteroids, more than 1,000 spacecraft would be needed to prevent a catastrophe.