An asteroid impact could bring an end to flourishing life on a planet. Just ask a dinosaur. Oh yeah, they’re not here anymore. But based on what we’ve learned from the shattered and sometimes charred remains of their deep geological graves, we know that even when space rocks moving at thousands of kilometers per second are resolved, We are convinced that we cannot bring good news. It hits the earth head on. Scientists and governments have spent a great deal of energy creating sure-fire solutions to protect humanity in case another asteroid threatens our survival.
Another option is to nuke the asteroid and blow it to pieces. But things could get even worse, as smaller pieces of the asteroid could still hit Earth. Therefore, this issue requires further investigation.
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Experts at Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) have now created a simulation that shows what would happen if an asteroid was hit with a nuclear attack. Is that really a bad idea?
“Nuclear ablation”
The explosive technique these scientists considered is called nuclear ablation. This technique involves using radiation from a nuclear explosion to vaporize part of the asteroid’s surface. This creates an explosive thrust that changes the speed of the asteroid.
This model is called the X-ray energy storage model.
The researchers wrote a paper about this, which was published in The Planetary Science Journal.
To create the simulation model, the researchers considered a wide range of conditions that took into account the different types of asteroids humans have been able to study closely. Some of the asteroids simulated ranged from solid rock to piles of rubble. A wide range of data considered to extend the simulation.
“With enough warning time, we could launch a nuclear device and send it to an asteroid millions of miles away toward Earth,” said researcher Mary Burkey, quoted in the LLNL press release. ” he said.
“The device can then be detonated, redirecting the asteroid and moving it away from Earth with controlled pressure while keeping it intact, or destroying the asteroid and breaking it into small, fast-moving pieces, which can lead to a planetary planet.” There is a possibility of a collision.”
NASA already conducted the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission, which crashes a kinetic impactor into an asteroid to study how such an approach would change its orbit.
A new model created by LLNL scientists will give other scientists around the world a deeper understanding of, and build on, the knowledge already gathered about redirecting or destroying dangerous asteroids. It may be possible to build.
“While the odds of a large asteroid hitting us in our lifetime are low, the potential impact could be catastrophic,” said Megan Brooke Shull, director of LLNL’s planetary defense project. “There is,” he said.
(Information provided by agency)