Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Imagine a massive asteroid hurtling toward Earth with a 72% chance of impact in just 14 years. It's not the plot of a blockbuster movie but a scenario that NASA is taking very seriously. In a recent simulation, scientists explored this potential doomsday event, and what they discovered was both enlightening and alarming.

In this exercise, nearly 100 government representatives tested our preparedness for such a catastrophic event. The simulation revealed critical gaps in our readiness to face a potential asteroid impact, according to NASA's presentation.impression
Source: NASA



Lindley Johnson, planetary defense officer emeritus at NASA Headquarters, explained the importance of this exercise: "The uncertainties in these initial conditions for the exercise allowed participants to consider a particularly challenging set of circumstances." He emphasized, "A large asteroid impact is potentially the only natural disaster humanity has the technology to predict years in advance and take action to prevent."

screen shot at am
Source: NASA

Footage of the Peekskill Meteorite October 9, 1992

The Simulation Details

The hypothetical asteroid's size ranged from 60 to 800 meters, with the most probable size being between 100 and 320 meters. The exercise also introduced a complication: the asteroid passed behind the Sun, making it impossible to observe from Earth for at least seven months.

This scenario was the first to incorporate data from NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission, the pioneering technology aimed at defending Earth from potential asteroid impacts. Despite the promising technology, NASA noted that applying it to a real threat would require many years of advance planning.

artist impression
Source: NASA

Artist impression of meteor breaking up

The Results

NASA's simulation highlighted several "high-level gaps" in the current planetary defense strategies. These gaps underscore the need for improved coordination and preparation among various government agencies. Johnson noted, "These outcomes will help to shape future exercises and studies to ensure NASA and other government agencies continue improving planetary defense preparedness."

The Importance of Readiness

The exercise serves as a critical reminder of the importance of planetary defense. While the DART mission represents a significant step forward, the simulation's findings suggest that we still have much work to do in preparing for potential asteroid threats. In a news release, Johnson highlights the unique nature of asteroid impacts: "A large asteroid impact is potentially the only natural disaster humanity has the technology to predict years in advance and take action to prevent."

lrc hpdart large
Source: NASA

NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) command team.

As we look to the future, this simulation will inform further exercises and studies, helping to ensure that NASA and other agencies are better equipped to handle such threats. The work done today could be crucial in safeguarding our planet from potential asteroid impacts in the years to come.

Conclusion

NASA's recent simulation is a sobering reminder of the challenges we face in planetary defense. It underscores the need for continued innovation and collaboration to ensure we are prepared for any potential threats from space. By learning from these exercises and improving our readiness, we can better protect our planet and its inhabitants from future asteroid impacts.

This article originally appeared July.

More For You

Cosmonaut Sergei Krikalev floating aboard the space station, holding a camcorder in microgravity, surrounded by equipment.

Sergei Krikalev aboard the space station, capturing moments while unknowingly becoming part of history.

He orbited Earth over 5,000 times while his homeland disappeared beneath him

It’s the stuff of science fiction—a brave explorer launches into space, only to return and find the world radically changed. But for Russian cosmonaut Sergei Krikalev, this was no movie plot. It was real life.

When Krikalev left Earth in 1991, he was a proud citizen of the Soviet Union, embarking on what was supposed to be a routine five-month mission aboard the Mir space station. But as political upheaval shook his homeland, his return was repeatedly delayed. By the time he finally made it back 312 days later, the USSR had collapsed, his country had ceased to exist, and even his hometown had a different name.

Keep ReadingShow less
A computer rendering of a black hole.

The human mind isn't fully capable of understanding the destructive power of black holes.

A black hole was just created in a lab, its strange glow could change physics forever

The only thing more terrifying than the space-time devouring black holes we see in movies are the real things! Hollywood hasn't come close to conveying the mind-bending reality of these behemoths. With gravity so intense that not even light can escape, they remain one of the greatest challenges for physicists trying to unify two major theories of the universe—Einstein's general theory of relativity and quantum mechanics. Now, scientists in the Netherlands have created an artificial black hole in a lab, and something unexpected happened: it started glowing.

Researchers from the University of Amsterdam built a simulated black hole using a chain of atoms arranged in a single file to mimic the event horizon—the boundary beyond which nothing can return. Their goal was to study a phenomenon known as "Hawking radiation," first proposed by Stephen Hawking in 1974. But what they observed went beyond their expectations, offering a potential breakthrough in our understanding of quantum gravity.

Keep ReadingShow less
Ancient humans may have created art inspired by dinosaur tracks, study finds
Photo credit: Renan Rodrigues Chandu and Pedro Arcanjo José Feitosa, and the Casa Grande boy

Ancient humans may have created art inspired by dinosaur tracks, study finds

A groundbreaking discovery in Brazil has revealed an unexpected connection between prehistoric worlds—ancient rock art created over 9,000 years ago has been found right beside preserved dinosaur tracks. The remarkable find, uncovered at Serrote do Letreiro in the Sousa Basin and detailed in Scientific Reports, suggests early humans may have noticed and responded to these mysterious imprints left millions of years before their time.

Our paper on the Serrote do Letreiro Site in Brazil

Keep ReadingShow less

Groundbreaking study reveals a massive country splitting into two

Rising high above the Earth, the Himalayas are not only stunning but vital to geological research. A 2023 study indicates that the Indian tectonic plate, forming the Himalayas' foundation, might be splitting apart due to a unique geological phenomenon.

The Great Himalayas, with their jagged peaks, encompass hundreds of mountains, including the towering Mount Everest at 29,035 feet. Around 40-50 million years ago, the Indian Plate's collision with the Eurasian Plate caused the Earth's crust to buckle, forming these massive structures. Their similar thickness led them to merge rather than crash, resulting in today's colossal formations.

Keep ReadingShow less
How long drugs stay in your system

How long drugs stay in your system

One of the reasons that drug tests are a colossal scam is that not all drugs stay in your system for the same amount of time. In fact, some of the least dangerous drugs such as marijuana can be detected in your urine, blood, and hair for much longer than harder drugs such as heroin and meth — meaning that schools, employers, and law enforcement agencies that drug test disproportionately penalize marijuana users.

In order to illustrate just how disparate drugs interactions can be, here's a breakdown of how long each drug stays in your system.

Keep ReadingShow less