Scientists test plot from 90s film to combat asteroids – but does it work?
Top researchers may have just uncovered a new way to combat catastrophic asteroids strikes – and you may recognise one of their methods from the silver screen.
Scientists have been following in the footsteps of top Hollywood producers by looking towards nuclear bombs for future planetary defense missions, which may protect the Earth from nearby asteroids that could collide with the planet.
Physicists at Sandia National Laboratories, who work to ensure the safety and security of the United States’ nuclear arsenal, conducted an experiment that showed how a mega pulse of radiation from a nuclear blast could vapourise part of a nearby asteroid.
The blast is so significant that it would heat the surface to tens of thousands of degrees and produce a rapidly expanding ball of gas.
According to their research, the gas ball would be able to nudge the asteroid off course, given the calculations are correct, putting doomsday on hold.
The method is not too dissimilar from Bruce Willis’ approach in the popular 90s movie Armageddon, where he dropped a bomb down a drill hole.
However this, unfortunately, would not work.
Writing in Nature Physics, the researchers emphasised the level of devastation the asteroid could cause.
‘Asteroid impacts are among the many natural hazards facing civilization,’ they said.
‘Although most asteroids bypass the Earth or cause little damage, the largest collisions have led to regional devastation and even the elimination of habitable climates.
‘Although rare, the elimination of devastating impacts has become a national priority.’
Devastating asteroid collisions are incredibly rare, with the catastrophic 6-mile wide rock that wiped out the dinosaurs dropping on the earth 66 million years ago.
However, smaller asteroids can still be dangerous.
In 2013, a 60-foot wide meteor exploded over Chelyabinsk, Russia, injuring 1,491 people.
The team of scientists in Albuquerque, New Mexico used X-rays from a nuclear device and targeted tiny mock-up asteroids in a vacuum to conduct their experiment, with the conditions similar to that in space.
The researchers observed how the pulses heated up the surface of the asteroids, which resulted in a vapor plume that changed their direction.
Their research suggested that an asteroid heading towards Earth with a diameter of up to 2.5 miles could change momentum with the strategy, and could save the planet from a lot of damage.
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