Russia tests destroying asteroid that could hit Earth
Scientists use laser equipment to shoot asteroid models in a vacuum chamber.
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Many experts are researching measures to prevent asteroids from colliding with Earth. Photo:Outer Places. |
Scientists at the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (MIPT) are collaborating with many other experts to test measures to destroy asteroids, avoiding danger to Earth.Earth ChroniclesThe team used lasers to fire at a model asteroid placed in a vacuum chamber.
Through the experiment, the team could also determine how powerful a nuclear weapon would be needed to stop a space object from colliding with Earth. For example, to destroy an asteroid about 200 meters wide, they would need a nuclear weapon with the power of three million tons of TNT.
The three lasers used in the experiment are Iskra-5, Ray and Saturn. Scientists believe that after destroying the asteroid, most of the debris will burn up in the atmosphere. The rest will fall to Earth without causing harm to humans.
"There is no threat from asteroids at the moment, so researchers still have time to improve methods for destroying dangerous objects. We are also considering the possibility of deflecting asteroids," said Vladimir Yufa, an expert at MIPT, co-author of the study.
