science

NASA asteroid ‘ARMAGEDDON’: Space agency readies for asteroid apocalypse role play


Our planet is pummelled by hundreds of tons of space detritus every day but once every few million years, an object large enough to threaten life on Earth hit. Consequently, US space agency NASA is preparing for preventing such an apocalyptic asteroid strike. NASA has been scanning the skies for two decades in a bid to spot asteroids on a potential collision course with Earth.

Any space rockets orbiting the Sun that come within 30 million miles (50m km) of Earth’s orbit are classified as Near-Earth Objects (NEOs).

The danger asteroids present has become more noticeable, particularly since 2013’s Chelyabinsk meteorite explosion.

This fireball that exploded over Siberia was the worst-recorded asteroid strike since the infamous 1908 Tunguska event.

More than 1,600 people were injured by the 2013 explosion’s shock wave, which possessed the 20 times the power of the Hiroshima nuclear bomb.

So to ready for the next impact, NASA and will next week present the inaugural Planetary Defence Conference.

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This tabletop exercise will role play realistic scenarios for an asteroid on an apocalyptic impact trajectory with Earth.

The NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory’s Centre for NEO Studies (CNEOS) scenario begins with the premise that astronomers discover an asteroid they consider is potentially hazardous to Earth.

Following a months of tracking, observers predict that this NEO will pass within 0.05 astronomical units (AU) of Earth.

One AU is the distance between the Earth and the sun and equates to 93,000,000 miles (150,000,000 km).

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In the fictional simulation, NASA claims the asteroid poses a 1 in 100 chance of colliding with Earth and it may land in 2027.

It is first located 35 million miles (57 million km) from Earth and approaching at 31,000 mph (14km per second).

Weeks of observation found it more and more likely it would impact Earth in 2027 but details of the asteroid’s shape, size and composition remain scarce.

All that is known is the asteroid’s average size could be anywhere from 330 feet to 1,000 feet (100 meters to 300 meters).

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The conference will pick up the event at this point and decide on the best course of action.

NASA scientists will discuss the dangers posed by NEOs and actions that might be taken to protect the planet.

Lindley Johnson, NASA’s Planetary Defence Officer, said: “These exercises have really helped us in the planetary defence community to understand what our colleagues on the disaster management side need to know.

“This exercise will help us develop more effective communications with each other and with our governments.”

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