Bruce Willis would fly hitchhiking. Earth can be saved from asteroid but there is no rocket

Scientists have come to the conclusion that we can destroy asteroids dangerous to the planet, however, preparation is needed. This year, in July, an asteroid was flying past the ground with a diameter of 30 to 60 meters, it came from the planet at a quarter of the path from a month. The space fragment did not pose a threat to our world, but if it still hit the planet, the explosion would be three times more powerful than in Chelyabinsk in 2013, writes Sciencealert.

Scientists have learned about space stone flight only two days after it passed the ground. This recent case is a good example of how you can "miss" even large asteroids. Not so great to put humanity on the border of extinction, but also large enough to threaten the lives of millions of people.

If a dangerous asteroid would be detected a few days before the collision, would we be able to stop it? Such a question was raised in a recent study, which was published on the server of ARXIV scientific articles. In focus. Technology has appeared its Telegram channel. Subscribe not to miss the latest and most intrusive news from the world of science! In modeling, scientists considered an asteroid similar to the above mentioned 2023 NT1.

They found out if we could neutralize space stone using the spray method. The idea of ​​this study is really a little like the story of the Hollywood movie "Armageddon". In the tape, as in reality, the asteroid can be rejected, but time plays against all humanity. Scientists have wondered whether we can attack in time and whether our efforts will be sufficient to spray the asteroid into small pieces. The answer to both of these questions was affirmative.

If we consider our modern technologies, we could launch a defense rocket during the day, but provided that it will be ready for launch. In order to spray the asteroid into harmless pieces, the authors suggest using a combination of kinetic shock element and explosive. For example, a rocket can release a cloud of shock elements at high speed, breaking an asteroid into fragments with a diameter of not more than 10 meters.

Considering the typical density of asteroids, modeling shows that it will be a fairly effective way to destroy dangerous asteroids. Even if it is possible to break it just a few hours before the collision with the ground, the cloud of debris will not be threatened. But there is a significant nuance. All of the above is possible if humanity has a ready -made missile, a shock system that could be used.