NASA’s Plan to Warn the World About Impending Asteroid Doom
In a world where the threat of an asteroid collision looms over humanity, NASA’s Planetary Defense Coordination Office has taken on the crucial task of identifying and tracking potential threats. With the ability to warn the planet’s eight billion inhabitants about impending doom, this government agency is at the forefront of protecting Earth from catastrophic events.
Lead Program Executive for the Planetary Defense Coordination Office, Lindley Johnson, emphasized the importance of detecting these asteroids before they pose a danger to our planet. “We definitely want to find all those before they find us,” Johnson stated. To achieve this, his office keeps a close eye on the 2,300 known asteroids in the solar system, with particular attention given to the approximately 150 that could potentially cause an extinction event.
To ensure global coordination and response, NASA’s Planetary Defense Coordination Office collaborates with the International Asteroid Warning Network. This network consists of a coalition of astronomers who would be alerted if a doomsday impact were imminent. If they concur with the threat assessment, the situation would be escalated.
In the event that an asteroid is projected to impact the United States without posing a significant risk to other countries, the White House would be notified, and a public statement would be issued. However, if the space rock is expected to have an international impact, the United Nations Office of Outer Space Affairs would become involved.
While the scenario of an impending asteroid collision may seem like a plotline from a Hollywood movie, it is not entirely far-fetched. The 2021 Netflix satire “Don’t Look Up” humorously depicted how greed and ineptitude led to a failed response from US leaders in the face of an approaching space rock that ultimately wiped out humanity. However, NASA has been actively testing potential solutions to divert dangerous asteroids.
One option that NASA has explored, similar to the one portrayed in the film, involves using a human projectile to divert an asteroid. In a successful test run, the agency rammed a small spacecraft into a 530-foot-wide space rock millions of miles away, altering its course at a speed of 15,000 miles per hour. This demonstration showcased the potential effectiveness of such a mission in saving Earth from a catastrophic impact.
NASA has plans to further develop deflection methods, including the use of a “gravity tractor” technique. This technique involves deploying a spacecraft to shadow an asteroid and pull it out of its orbit using gravity. Additionally, officials are researching the possibility of using an ion beam to shift the course of a space rock.
However, these deflection methods would only be viable if the asteroid is detected at least five years before an impending impact. If there is only a few months of warning, there would be limited options to avert the crisis. Despite these challenges, the advance notice provided by NASA’s Planetary Defense Coordination Office gives hope that humanity can avoid the catastrophic consequences depicted in “Don’t Look Up.”
One potential collision that scientists have identified is projected to occur in 2182. There is a 1 in 2,700 chance that Bennu, a small near-Earth asteroid, will collide with Earth that year. However, for this collision to happen, Bennu would need to pass through a “gravitational keyhole” in 2135. The advanced warning allows scientists ample time to develop strategies to prevent such a catastrophe.
The consequences of an asteroid collision are dire. According to the article, an impact would trigger an explosion equivalent to 24 nuclear bombs. The Chicxulub crater, formed when a six-mile-wide asteroid struck Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula 66 million years ago, serves as a chilling reminder of the destructive power of such events. Its shockwave was two million times more powerful than a hydrogen bomb, resulting in mass extinction.
A similar mass extinction impact today would devastate cities, unleash tsunamis, and create a cloud of hot debris that would block out the sun, leading to a frozen and inhospitable planet. The importance of NASA’s efforts to detect and track these potentially hazardous asteroids cannot be overstated.
In conclusion, NASA’s Planetary Defense Coordination Office plays a crucial role in protecting Earth from the threat of asteroid collisions. By identifying and tracking potential threats, collaborating with international networks, and testing deflection methods, NASA aims to provide advance warning and prevent catastrophic events. While the possibility of an asteroid collision may seem like the stuff of science fiction, the reality is that the consequences are too severe to ignore. Through continued research and preparedness, humanity can strive to avoid the fate depicted in movies like “Don’t Look Up” and ensure the safety of our planet.