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Asteroids represent one of the biggest existential threats to people's survival. And this is not unjustified. A good deal of the major incidents that wiped out life on Earth seem to come from massive asteroid impacts. So big is the danger that we still have more than a few apocalyptic films warning of the possibility. But the real threat does not come from the killer planets we hear about. These are scary, of course, but they are big enough for us to see them coming. Instead, scientists are concerned about countries or killers in the city. And if we were faced with one, we would probably be in pretty bad shape.
More than a decade ago, Congress instructed NASA to track 90% of near-Earth objects that are about 450 feet or more in length. However, we are a bit behind on this goal. In fact, even these asteroids are a little bigger than something like the Chelyabinsk event that exploded with the force of a moderately powerful nuclear weapon – about 30 times the strength of the bombing. # 39; Hiroshima. As surprising as it may sound, this rock was only 60 feet in diameter. And, had it been hit somewhere like New York, it would have been a cataclysm like the one the modern world has rarely seen.
In a new report from the US National Science and Technology Council, the team assesses the lack of preparedness of US officials and institutions and aims to accelerate their monitoring, analysis and response capabilities to help defend the country against the unpredictable, but potentially devastating. threat posed by space objects.
A good part of this plan is to strengthen the tracking capabilities of current telescopes, which allows them to more accurately distinguish the size of the asteroid and its potential impact.
"Since 2005, the number of NEOs cataloged in this range has almost tripled, while the total number of cataloged NEOs has almost quintupled," reads the report. "Nevertheless, according to a 2017 report from NASA's scientific definition team, current observation capabilities only find less than half of the 140-meter objects by 2033 and below." the planned improvements will fall short of the schedule. "
In addition, the group wants to coordinate with FEMA and other organizations to assist in the implementation of the National Strategy and Action Plan for the Preparation of Near-Earth Objects. All of these steps are important steps for creating a new intervention team that would help finalize a response plan and take care of the affected people if something so sudden and grim came to light. achieve.
For the moment, however, we are a little boned. Chelyabinsk was lucky because the rock exploded before reaching the ground and was far enough away that there were only a thousand wounds and widespread destruction of property. Given the magnitude of the explosion, however, it is hard to imagine what could have happened.
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