Asteroid collisions with Earth are surprisingly common, with NASA estimating that 48.5 tons of meteoric material enter our atmosphere each day. Most burn up, leading to meteor showers. Although catastrophic asteroid impacts are rare in Earth’s history, humanity has learned an important lesson from the devastating event that occurred 66 million years ago. The asteroid responsible for the extinction of the dinosaurs was about six miles wide, but much smaller bodies still pose a major threat. In the face of potentially devastating asteroid impacts, scientists are racing to develop innovative solutions to protect our planet.
In New Mexico, scientists are exploring a futuristic solution to protect Earth from asteroid threats: using X-ray bursts from nuclear explosions, Guardian Reported. Scientists at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque have successfully demonstrated a revolutionary method for deflecting incoming asteroids using nuclear explosions. For the experiment, researchers vaporized the surface of a nearby asteroid using the power of X-rays from a nuclear explosion.
The process works by releasing a massive wave of radiation, which heats the surface of the asteroid to tens of thousands of degrees. This creates a rapidly expanding ball of gas that can deflect the asteroid from its destructive path. By precisely calculating the impact of the explosion, scientists believe this technique could effectively push dangerous asteroids away from Earth, potentially saving humanity from catastrophe.
“The primary mechanism involves using X-rays to rapidly heat the target surface, causing it to vaporize and expand into the adjacent vacuum. The expanding gas pushes against the asteroid, transferring momentum (in the opposite direction),” wrote the authors of the study, published Monday in the journal Nature Physics.
The scientists found that nuclear bombs are an option for larger asteroids, especially when time is short. Researchers believe this strategy could effectively deflect asteroids up to 2.5 miles wide, though this is not a strict limit.
“Larger asteroids can certainly be deflected if there’s enough warning time,” said Dr. Nathan Moore, first author of the study.
Mr. Moore and his team plan to conduct further experimental tests to refine the X-ray deflection technique, building on their initial success. Their goal is to increase the method’s effectiveness through additional laboratory experiments. Ultimately, they envision a space-based demonstration similar to NASA’s DART (Double Asteroid Redirection Test) mission, in which the technique would be tested on a real asteroid.
