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asteroid

Humanity might not be safe fifty-fifty if we tackle challenges like global climatic change and perpetual war. An asteroid could fall out of the heaven and knock us back into the stone age, or worse, finish our cursory reign on this planet. NASA and the National Nuclear Security Assistants (NNSA) are working on a new spacecraft design that could potentially deflect a dangerous asteroid before that happens. The craft is called "HAMMER," and it does what the name implies.

HAMMER, which stands for Hypervelocity Asteroid Mitigation Mission for Emergency Response, has 2 modes. In its preferred way of performance, it would act as an impactor that collides with the asteroid to gently nudge information technology off class, and then it doesn't hit the planet. If there'south not plenty fourth dimension for that, HAMMER's other option is to detonate a nuclear weapon in lodge to destroy or deflect the object. That'due south where the NNSA's interest is key.

In a new study, NASA used the asteroid Bennu every bit a hypothetical examination for the HAMMER programme. The bureau's OSIRIS-Male monarch mission is closing in on the space rock with the aim of collecting a sample from its surface later on this twelvemonth. Researchers used the trajectory calculations of OSIRIS-REx for the hypothetical HAMMER mission. This wasn't just a shortcut for the sake of sending time. There's a small 1-in-2,700 run a risk that Bennu could collide with Earth in 2035. The 1,600 pes (487 meters), 74 billion pound (33.5 billion kilograms) space rock would produce a ane.fifteen gigaton explosion if information technology struck World. That'due south about 23 times larger than the most powerful hydrogen bomb ever detonated, and information technology's far from the biggest asteroid out there.

Each HAMMER spacecraft would weigh 8.eight tons. With a planned affect speed of 22,000 miles per 60 minutes, it could impart a lot of strength. Still, i probe isn't going to deflect even a modestly sized asteroid like Bennu. NASA suggests deploying a pocket-size armada of HAMMER probes in the path of an Asteroid. Over the course of multiple impacts, the asteroid slows down slightly, and its orbital trajectory bends toward the sun. According to the written report, this would be enough to steer Bennu away from an Earth impact.

If we don't know about an bear upon years in advance, it might be incommunicable to alter the asteroid'due south course early enough. That'south why HAMMER also has a nuclear mode. The analysis says current United states of america nuclear weapons are sufficiently powerful to knock an object similar Bennu off course. Overall efficacy won't be articulate until we get a closer wait at Bennu's makeup. OSIRIS-REx will deliver a sample to Earth in 2023.