A scientist warns that we may not have enough time to safely deflect the asteroid 2024 YR4, which has a 2.3% chance of hitting Earth in 2032. With only eight years remaining, options may be limited to evacuating the impact site or utilizing a nuclear weapon to alter its trajectory. This would break a current taboo against nuclear weapon use in space.
Blasting it in space with a nuclear weapon could be a last resort We might already be too late to knock ‘city killer’ asteroid 2024 YR4 out of the way with a tested method, a scientist has warned. The space rock has a 2.3% chance of hitting Earth in in 2032, according to current estimates, Nasa is trying to get a better idea of its intended route by looking at it with the James Webb space telescope, but with only eight years before its possible hit, we could already be short on time.
If it really starts to look like a direct hit, though, governments and space organisations will speed up efforts to deflect it. One option could be developing a more powerful deflection spacecraft than the one used in the DART mission. What would happen if 2024 YR4 hit Earth? It depends where it hit, how big it is, and what it is made of. If it came down in the sea, then there would be the possibility of tsunamis, but ultimately it wouldn’t be much of a problem.
ASTEROID DEFLECTION NUCLEAR WEAPON SPACE NASA
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