International Asteroid Day: Are we ready if an asteroid strikes the Earth?

According to Dante Lauretta, principal investigator at OSIRIS mission- NASA Rex, asteroids hit the Earth every day. Most of them are so small that they burn in the atmosphere. But small asteroids can still do damage, especially if they explode in the air above a city like Chelyabinsk. And the smaller they are, the more difficult the asteroids are to detect.

But new technologies and planetary defense plans could change that. An asteroidal action plan

The objectives of the plan include improving the detection, tracking and identification of NEOs, improving predictive modeling, developing technologies to hijack and disrupt NEOs, intensification of international cooperation to prepare NEOs and the establishment of emergency protocols.

The damage that an asteroid can inflict depends on its size. The one who killed the dinosaurs was 15 kilometers in diameter. Scientists have mapped 90% of asteroids of one kilometer or more and know that they will not pose a threat, said Detlef Koschny, chief of the Earth's Near-Earth Objects team. 39, European Space Agency.

But we only detected and mapped less than 1% of NEOs for less than one kilometer. The smaller the asteroid, the more likely it is to impact the Earth. According to Koschny, 100-meter asteroids hit every 10,000 years and 50-meter asteroids every 1,000 years.

Asteroids of about 20 meters, like that of Chelyabinsk, occur on average every 10 to 100 years. "We will definitely see something like this in our life," says Koshcny

According to the new report, NASA will search for asteroids 50 meters in diameter. Previously, they focused on larger, 100 meters wide and larger because they have the ability to affect whole regions and continents. But asteroids less than 50 meters in diameter can also inflict significant damage. According to NASA, there are 10 million NEOs over 20 meters and 300,000 objects over 40 meters that could pose a risk of impact, but they are hard to detect more than a few days in advance.

in partnership with Google Cloud and Analytical Graphics Inc. to track asteroid discoveries using a cloud-based platform for the Asteroid Decision Analysis and Mapping project.

"There will be a lot more data and observations on asteroids," Lu said. "We we are preparing for this avalanche of data and, with our partners, we are working to understand how we will be able to determine if an asteroid will touch the Earth. "More sighting means less uncertainty." [19659026] Asteroid Missions

In 2005, Congress instructed NASA to find at least 90% of NEOs at least 140 meters by 2020. Since then, the number total of NEO listed increased by five however Current capabilities and estimates suggest that we can only find less than half of these objects by 2033. That's why the new plan puts the emphasis on improving the detection of NEOs and the promotion of these capabilities.

Currently, there are several missions planned, and underway, which will aim to study asteroids and deflect them.

The spacecraft is 12.4 miles from the asteroid, from where it will launch a projectile into the rock in order to excavate samples below the surface. Later, Hayabusa2 will touch the asteroid and collect the samples. He will depart from Ryugu in December 2019 and will eventually return to Earth by the end of 2020.

NASA's Asteroid Redirect Mission was designed to develop a robotic spacecraft that would collect a multi-ton rock on the surface of an NEO and redirect that rock into orbit around the moon – proving that we can change the atmosphere. orbit of a NEO on a less threatening path. The mission was canceled at the end of 2017.

The new plan suggests developing deflection and disruption missions, such as gravity tractors, kinetic impactors (such as DART) and even a nuclear explosive capable of breaking up asteroids of some size. pieces that would disintegrate.

Although this may sound like an apocalyptic preparation for "Deep Impact" or "Armageddon", the asteroids to which they are destined will probably not cause the end of all humanity.

And if an asteroid strikes the Earth

Currently, NASA estimates that we need ten years to properly prepare an asteroid colliding with the Earth. The more we catalog asteroids, the more likely we are to track them and mitigate the risks with such a time frame.

And if we had ten years notice, sophisticated plans must be put in place and communicated globally.

"If there must be an evacuation, where do you evacuate?" said Debbie Lewis, specialist in asteroid risk management and communications. "Rather than a tent village scenario, I hope they'll be able to put in place something more comprehensive. Having a ten-year notice certainly allows communities to plan their own." The urgency of putting something in place. "