Scientists are exploring whether they could save the Earth with a sci-fi disaster movie plot.
A study published this month investigated whether a nuclear bomb could be fired “millions of kilometers” into space to prevent a catastrophic asteroid from destroying the planet.
Researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) developed a modeling tool that could evaluate that possibility in the immediate aftermath of a 2022 NASA mission that successfully deflected a giant space rock.
The new tool, detailed in the Planetary Science Journal, helps scientists understand whether another option might be at their disposal after NASA deployed a kinetic impactor, in this case a spacecraft, to knock Asteroid 2022 off course. during the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART). ) mission.
“If we have enough warning time, we could potentially launch a nuclear device, sending it millions of miles away to an asteroid headed toward Earth,” LLNL physicist Mary Burkey, who led the team, said in a statement. investigation.
The nuclear devices have a higher percentage of energy density per unit than the kinetic impactor used by the space agency, which would make it a more effective method against asteroids, Burkey said.
When the device comes into contact with the asteroid, there are two possible scenarios.
Mary Burkey, physicist at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
“We would then detonate the device and deflect the asteroid, keeping it intact but providing a controlled push away from Earth, or we could disrupt the asteroid, breaking it into small, fast-moving fragments that would also not reach the planet.” Burkey pointed out.
The sophisticated multiphysics simulations operated by LLNL cover a wide range of factors that would help determine whether a nuclear diversion mission would be a success, he said.
A nuclear bomb could prevent the asteroid from heading towards the planet. Mary Burkey/Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
If a real-life threat against Earth materializes, the modeling would help decision makers determine how to proceed against an asteroid, said LLNL planetary defense project leader Megan Bruck Syal.
“While the probability of a large asteroid impact in our lifetime is low, the potential consequences could be devastating,” Bruck Syal said in a statement.
But there are risks associated with launching a nuclear bomb on a collision course with an asteroid.
Pieces of the exploded asteroid could still be large enough to damage Earth, an asteroid expert previously told the New York Times.
“If you miscalculate the energy needed to destroy it, you can produce a lot of fragments,” said Dr. Patrick Michel.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn