Scientists have figured out how long it will take to shoot down an asteroid that threatens Earth

The NASA space agency performed a simulation of the situation, according to which our Earth is threatened with an imminent collision with a large space object. And they established how much time at the current level of development of the situation it will take scientists to change the trajectory or completely destroy the dangerous asteroid.

Potential threat from space

Studying outer space, scientists have found a huge number of potentially dangerous fairly large celestial bodies (asteroids and comets), which, when colliding with the Earth, can either severely harm humanity, or even radically change the appearance of the Earth.

Of course, scientists track such asteroids, but even according to the most optimistic estimates, only 40% of potentially dangerous objects are currently known. Therefore, the likelihood of a sudden detection of an asteroid, which flies in a direct course to Earth, is very high.

Possible solutions to the problem

At the moment, scientists are considering three possible tools for solving this problem.

So, in the first version, it is proposed to place near the asteroid or directly on its surface a powerful explosive device in order to break it into smaller pieces, which will subsequently burn in dense layers atmosphere.

The second option is to direct lasers towards the asteroid, which could heat up and partially vaporize the asteroid, and thus reduce its mass or even deflect it from a course dangerous for the Earth.

The third option is to send a space "ram" to the asteroid, which would crash into the asteroid at high speed and thus also knock it off course.

Well, now let's find out how long it will take for scientists to implement these projects.

Computer simulation and its results

So, NASA specialists decided to perform computer simulations with the current level of development of terrestrial technologies and such a condition that the asteroid is detected and should crash into the Earth in 6 months, and be at a distance of 56 million kilometers.

So, as it turned out, there is no chance of performing a deflection maneuver or destruction of a dangerous asteroid.

According to calculations, if such a threat were real, then scientists would need from 5 to 10 years. Moreover, most experts believe that 10 years is the minimum period for preparing and repelling the threat of a meteorite falling to Earth. In the meantime, it is suggested to rely on luck.

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