US researchers have somehow simulated a remake of the famous movie Armageddon . The goal was to understand how humans could react as quickly as possible to an asteroid heading straight for Earth. After performing several simulations, scientists believe that atomizing the object is the most effective solution.
Younger kids may not remember the movie script Armageddon (1998). The beginning announces a major catastrophe:a asteroid the size of Texas will crash to Earth in just eighteen days. Oil drilling specialist Harry Stamper (Bruce Willis) is sent to the asteroid with a team. The goal ? Drill a well as deep as possible to place a nuclear charge and thus, disintegrate the object. Of course, this is science fiction. On the other hand, what would happen in reality?
In a study to be published in the journal Acta Astronautica in November 2021, physicists from Johns Hopkins University (USA) considered the possibility that humanity must react within a limited time against the arrival of an asteroid. The objective was obviously to avoid an impact that would be synonymous with disaster. The researchers say they performed several simulations. Each time, it was about a different type of asteroid or variations in the time remaining before impact.
For physicists, the best solution would be to send a nuclear bomb with a power of one megaton. One of the scenarios was to model an impact with an asteroid 100 meters in diameter , five times less than the asteroid Bennu. The scenario in question predicted two months before impact and a near-perfect result:atomizing the asteroid would reduce destruction to only 0.1% of what they would have been in the event of inaction. Another scenario featured a larger asteroid, but with a longer time to impact (six months). The nuke is still the most effective solution, reducing the shock to 1%.
However, if the results seem encouraging, the leaders of the study emphasize that this is a last resort solution. The option of diverting the asteroid from its trajectory – using kinetic impactors – is still preferable. Let us recall in passing that a few months ago, China had raised the possibility of launching 23 Long March 5 rockets at Bennu to deflect it from its trajectory. If the chances of collision with Earth are very low, the asteroid will pass within 7.5 million kilometers of our planet's orbit between 2175 and 2199.
