Nasa simulated an asteroid impact, couldn’t stop it hitting Europe
- Space agencies around the world took part in a Nasa simulation of an asteroid-impact scenario
- Experts couldn’t stop it from hitting Europe – showing how unprepared we are for such a crisis
Scientists around the world have been bamboozled this week by a fictitious asteroid heading toward Earth.
A group of experts from US and European space agencies attended a week-long exercise led by Nasa in which they faced a hypothetical scenario: an asteroid 56 million km (35 million miles) away was approaching the planet and could hit within six months.
With each passing day of the exercise, the participants learned more about the asteroid’s size, trajectory, and chance of impact. Then they had to cooperate and use their technological knowledge to see if anything could be done to stop the space rock.
The experts fell short. The group determined that none of Earth’s existing technologies could stop the hypothetical asteroid from striking given the six-month time frame of the simulation. In this alternate reality, the asteroid crashed into eastern Europe.
As far as we know, no asteroids currently pose a threat to Earth in this way. But an estimated two-thirds of asteroids 140 metres (460 feet) in size or bigger – large enough to wreak considerable havoc – remain undiscovered. That’s why Nasa and other agencies are attempting to prepare for such a situation.