The United States’ National Science and Technology Council has updated the country’s plan for dealing with potentially dangerous asteroids.
Earlier this month, the council published a 38-page document laying out six goals for federal agencies aimed at strengthening our ability to detect, track and develop technologies. Deflect near-Earth hazardous objects (NEOs), and increase international preparedness for such events.
According to the report, millions of tiny objects orbit The sun passes close to Earth’s orbit. Many of these rocks end in a plunge Earth’s atmosphere But burns before reaching the ground. The main concern is NEOs 33 feet (10 meters) wide or larger Asteroid That size tends to pack a pretty powerful punch.
Related: Asteroid Apocalypse: How Big Does a Space Rock Have to Be to End Human Civilization?
report (opens in new tab) It cites the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, which estimates that there are about 1,000 NEOs about 0.6 miles (1 kilometer) wide. Space rocks of this size would be seriously damaged if they collided the earthAnd that remains unaccounted for about 5% of the NEO population.
From there, the numbers go up as things get smaller. The smaller the size class, the higher the abundance and undetected estimates. About 25,000 potentially hazardous NEOs larger than 460 feet (140 m) are currently being tracked, including about 230,000 in the 165-foot (50 m) class; Less than 8% of this latter group is currently being tracked. Additionally, there are millions of smaller objects that “could damage some surfaces” if they survive their atmospheric descent, according to the report.
Thankfully, under humanity’s watchful eye already no major NEOs are expected to fly close enough to a planet to result in an impact. Currently, the closest pass of a dangerous NEO to Earth is expected in 2029, when the 1,100-foot-wide (335 m) asteroid Apophis will fly within 19,635 miles (31,600 km) of the planet’s surface.
It’s almost like grazing with a bullet. For perspective: the moon orbits the Earth at an average distance of about 240,000 miles (385,000 km).
The 2029 approach of Apophis is therefore going to be quite an event, and an updated planetary defense plan urges the aerospace and defense industries to take advantage of the asteroid’s pass. The report states that Apophis presents “an extraordinary opportunity to further advance Earth’s planetary protection through technology demonstrations and international collaboration”.
But there are countless NEOs we don’t know about that pose a real threat. The report cited 2013 asteroid impact on ChelyabinskRussia, which came out of a clear blue sky and over 1,500 people were injured.
In response to the growing threat of an unexpected impact, and the growing technological capability to do something about it, the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs created the International Asteroid Warning Network (IAWN) and the Space Mission Planning Advisory Group (SPAG). 2014. Both organizations aim to integrate global observations to promote NEO awareness and planetary protection. NASA followed suit in 2016 when it established the NEO-dedicated Planetary Defense Coordination Office (PDCO).
The six action plan goals listed in the updated action plan include enhanced detection, more accurate tracking and characterization, and technological advances in NEO deflection. Two goals focus on international cooperation and crisis global processes. And another requests federal agencies of the United States (for example, NASA and Space Force) to continue their interagency efforts focusing on planetary defense projects designed to thwart potential threats to Earth.
NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) was a project with many objectives. This Dart Mission The probe successfully slammed into an asteroid in September 2022 to demonstrate its ability to change the trajectory of a space rock. Action Plan Vera c. Also highlights upcoming programs like the Rubin Observatory and the NEO Surveyor Space Telescope, which will help us keep tabs on potentially dangerous asteroids.
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