By Alimat Aliyeva
A team of researchers from the Chinese Academy of Launch Vehicle
Technology (CALT) has proposed a new two-stage method for dealing
with large asteroids that could potentially threaten Earth,
AzerNEWS reports.
The proposed strategy involves using a high-speed metal
projectile to create a deep crater on the asteroid’s surface. In
the second stage, a spacecraft would deliver a nuclear device into
the crater and trigger a controlled underground explosion.
Scientists believe that placing the explosive charge beneath the
surface could significantly increase the effectiveness of the
impact compared with a simple surface explosion.
According to a report published in the journal Space: Science &
Technology, computer simulations show that a 3-megaton nuclear
explosion — roughly equivalent to the power of about 200 Hiroshima
bombs — could completely break apart an asteroid around 100 meters
in diameter. The researchers also discovered that placing the
charge approximately 30 meters below the asteroid’s surface could
more than triple the asteroid’s trajectory change compared with a
shallow explosion.
This approach could provide a more powerful alternative to
traditional asteroid-deflection methods, which usually focus on
gently changing an asteroid’s path rather than destroying it. One
example of such technology is NASA’s DART mission, which
successfully tested the ability to alter the orbit of a small
asteroid moon by using a spacecraft impact.
However, scientists emphasize that using nuclear devices in
space would be a last-resort option. The main goal of planetary
defense programs is to detect potentially dangerous objects as
early as possible and redirect them safely before they become a
serious threat.
With thousands of near-Earth asteroids being monitored by space
agencies around the world, developing reliable defense strategies
remains an important challenge for modern astronomy and space
exploration.
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