Chinese scientists have proposed a plan to detonate a nuclear bomb inside an asteroid to break it apart, a strategy to save Earth in the event of a doomsday collision. The plan comes after NASA warned that a several-hundred-foot-wide space rock could hit Earth with enough force to destroy entire cities.
Nuclear Option from Within
The study, published by the researchers, suggests that hitting an asteroid with a bomb more powerful than the one dropped on Hiroshima could be the key. Instead of detonating the nuke near the asteroid, the best place would be inside the meteor, as this would break it apart from within.
The study states: "Mitigating the risk of near-Earth asteroid (NEA) impacts is critical to global security and the survival of human civilization. In particular, large NEAs with short warning times pose a devastating threat to humanity." It adds that "directly destroying or rapidly deflecting" was the "only feasible method" in such scenarios.
Simulations and Firepower
During the study, the authors ran extensive simulations to test if a virtual nuclear explosion could destroy a space rock destined to hit Earth. They found that a 300-kiloton nuke could completely obliterate an asteroid measuring around 164 feet (50 metres) across. A larger 3-megaton explosion could destroy a space rock measuring about 328 feet (100 metres) across.
The study notes: "Asteroid impacts on Earth have occurred several times in human history, causing catastrophic environmental changes and mass extinctions." It describes such impacts as "one of the major potential threats that could lead to human destruction."
Calls for More Funding
The development comes as James Orsulak, who helps lead ExLabs, says that NASA doesn't have enough money dedicated to stopping space rocks from hitting Earth. He said: "NASA's planetary defence budget is less than one percent of the total space agency. That's not enough to ever do anything."
Orsulak believes that instead of waiting for the government to take action, private companies should build spaceships that could potentially save us. If companies compete to build the best and cheapest ships, they could be sent into space much faster.
