Asteroids Are Harder To Destroy Than Initially Thought

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Asteroids are large rock formations that float through space. While some are quite insignificant, others are big enough to cause damage on a cataclysmic scale in the case of a direct collision with a planet. NASA has spent decades on asteroid research and the development of useful tools which could be used if an asteroid will enter on a collision course with our planet. A new study argues that destroying an asteroid is a complicated process which may be much harder than previously thought.

Countless movies have shown and a humongous asteroid that was heading towards Earth, but it was deviated or destroyed at last moment with the help of an innovative solution. Some of the methods used in the movies appear to be quite feasible, but this is not the case.

The lead author of the study outlined some of the new information. Experts believed that a more massive asteroid should be more accessible to destroy since larger objects tend to have a higher number of vulnerable points which can be exploited. The study suggests that a more massive asteroid is considerably harder to break, and a more substantial amount of energy is needed to reduce it to harmless meteors.

Asteroids Are Harder To Destroy Than Initially Thought

Previous knowledge was based on the study of small rock samples, but the situation dramatically changes when we are looking at an asteroid which as big as some of the largest cities in the world.

At the start of the previous decade, a team of researchers created one of the most popular simulations, which pitted an asteroid which measures one kilometer in width against 25 kilometers of space rock. The speed at which the asteroid traveled was five kilometers per second. The results showed that the force of the impact completely shattered the target.

The new study used the same scenario and a different simulation tool. The team learned that the impact, in this case, didn’t destroy the target asteroid. Further research is underway, and the new information may be useful in the long run.

Doris’s passion for writing started to take shape in college where she was editor-in-chief of the college newspaper. Even though she ended up working in IT for more than 7 years, she’s now back to what he always enjoyed doing. With a true passion for technology, Doris mostly covers tech-related topics.