Express by Tom Fish 10/30/2019
ASTEROID collisions with Earth have long excited science fiction fans. But US-based space agency NASA is taking the space rock risk seriously. An asteroid expert has now revealed the options available for planetary defence in a new NASA podcast.
Dr Andy Rivkin, a planetary astronomer at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, discussed asteroids and possible planetary defence tactics on season two, episode four of NASA’s On A Mission podcast. He said: “Some strategies seem very sci-fi, like turning the asteroid itself into a spaceship by strapping rocket engines onto it, and steering it away. But making that work is tricky.â€
The most obvious option – of blasting any Earth-bound asteroids away from the planet is in fact the hardest to execute.
Dr Rivkin said: “Asteroids have different rotation speeds, their north poles point in very different directions, so if you put a rocket on the surface, the rocket is going to rotate along with the asteroid.
“So you either need to only fire the rocket at certain times, when it’s pointing the right way, or you have to figure out a way to change the spin of the asteroid so that the rocket can always work.â€
He proceeds to reveal a more futuristic option for planetary defence involves using powerful lasers to slowly melt the asteroid away.
More:
https://www.express.co.uk/news/science/1197556/asteroid-news-nasa-scifi-strategies-deflecting-disaster-space-news
