Chinese Researchers Propose Nukes as Backup Amid Warning of 15,000 Hidden 'City-Killer' Asteroids
- Researchers at the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology published a study proposing deep-crater nuclear detonation as the most effective defense against large, near-Earth asteroids in the Space: Science & Technology journal.
- Existing methods like the Nasa Dart mission struggle to deflect large asteroids effectively within short timeframes, making nuclear options necessary for rocks with limited warning windows.
- Simulations show burying a device about 30 meters deep triples the asteroid's speed change, while a 3-megaton blast—equivalent to around 200 Hiroshima bombs—could completely destroy a 328-foot asteroid.
- A deep crater detonation at 20 meters on a large asteroid provides vital data for future planetary defense engineering, helping researchers design effective interception strategies.
- Asteroids frequently fly by Earth, with many large rocks remaining undiscovered, presenting a constant threat of catastrophic environmental changes and mass extinctions.
20 Articles
20 Articles
Chinese researchers are planning to use a nuclear explosion to protect Earth from a crashing asteroid. The planetary defense plan would destroy the celestial body from the inside.
Scientists plan nuclear strike from inside doomsday asteroids to save the planet
Experts have come up with a plan to explode an asteroid from the inside just in case earth is ever in the “Armageddon” style event of a meteor set for a collision course with planet Earth
Chinese Researchers Propose Nukes as Backup Amid Warning of 15,000 Hidden 'City-Killer' Asteroids
Chinese scientists have proposed using nuclear explosives as a last-resort defence against potentially catastrophic asteroids after new research suggested thousands of undetected 'city-killer' space rocks could threaten Earth. The study, conducted by researchers from the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology in Beijing and reported this week, argues that a nuclear device buried deep inside an incoming asteroid could be the most practical op…
Chinese researchers presented a new strategy to prevent large asteroids from reaching the Earth. The method, described in a study published in the scientific journal Space: Science and Technology, proposes to perform two successive explosions in the object: the first to dig a large crater and the second to use this cavity as a way to transmit more energy and change its trajectory. Deported US couple is found dead in Guatemala; 1-year-old daughte…
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