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SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said a large asteroid will eventually touch the Earth. His concern is that "we currently have no defense".
In response to a podcast tweet from Joe Rogan, Musk said on Sunday that he would not be worried about the asteroid Apophis, which is expected to fly over the Earth in 2029. However, a "big boulder" will eventually by hitting the Earth and for the moment, there is nothing we can do about it.
"Very good name, I would not worry about this one, but a big rock will reach the Earth at the end and we have no defense at present," Musk tweeted.
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Scientifically known as 99942 Apophis, the voluminous space rock will fly less than 30,000 km above the surface of the Earth on April 13, 2029. NASA, which planned the overflight, announced in April that "An object near the Earth, from one)" will sail safely through the Earth ", adding that it is" rare "for an asteroid of this size to fly over the Earth at such a close distance.
Any chance of an accident in 2036, when Apophis will fly over Earth again, has also been ruled out by NASA.
Apophis, who was first identified in 2004, owes its name to the ancient Egyptian god Apep, who was the "lord of chaos".
Illustration of artist representing a potentially dangerous asteroid towards the Earth.
(ESA)
This is a pretty curious statement from Musk, especially since NASA has awarded SpaceX a $ 69 million contract to help reduce asteroid deflection via its mission DART (Double Asteroid Redirection Test).
The contract will be "the first ever mission to demonstrate the ability to deflect an asteroid by hitting a high-speed spacecraft – a technique known as the kinetic impactor," according to a statement from the government space agency. The target asteroid is Didymoon, the small rock of space that revolves around the largest asteroid Didymos.
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The mission is currently scheduled for launch in June 2021 on SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket.
NASA has been preparing for years for the global defense of asteroid impacts. A recent study showed that Americans preferred a space program focused on the potential impacts of asteroids on the return of humans to the Moon or Mars.
In 2016, NASA formalized its previous program for the detection and monitoring of near-Earth objects and integrated it into its scientific mission direction.
Last June, NASA unveiled a 20-page plan outlining the steps the US should take to better prepare for NEOs, such as asteroids and comets, located within 30 million kilometers of the planet.
Lindley Johnson, the space agency's global defense officer, said at the time that the country "already has significant scientific, technical and operational capabilities" to assist NEOs, but that the Implementation of the new plan "would significantly increase our country's preparedness and collaboration with international partners" to respond effectively if a potential new impact on an asteroid was detected. "
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In addition to improving the capabilities for the detection, monitoring and characterization of near-Earth objects and improving modeling predictions, the plan also aims to develop technologies to divert NEOs, increase international cooperation and enhance establish new procedures and protocols for NEO impact action.
In April, NASA's administrator, Jim Bridenstine, said that an asteroid attack was not something to be taken lightly and that it was perhaps to be the biggest threat of the Earth.
"We have to make sure that people understand that it is neither Hollywood nor film," Bridenstine said at the 2019 Global Academy's Global Defense Conference of astronautics in College Park, Maryland, according to Space.com. "It is ultimately about protecting the only planet we currently know to harbor life, and that is the planet Earth."
According to a report published in 2018 by Planetary.org, there would be more than 18,000 Named Executive Officers.
NASA has not responded to a request for comment.
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