In the event an asteroid with the potential to cause armageddon approaches Earth in 2135 as some have projected, scientists have come up with a plan that should have a deep impact on said asteroid.
Quite simply, they plan to blow it up using a spacecraft that’s been outfitted with nuclear weapons – and somewhere Jerry Bruckheimer is smiling.
Known as Bennu, the 1,600-foot-wide asteroid will theoretically have to deal with the Hypervelocity Asteroid Mitigation Mission for Emergency Response (HAMMER) spacecraft if it comes near Earth.
Conceived as part of a joint effort between the National Nuclear Security Administration, two Energy Department weapons labs and NASA, the 8.8-ton HAMMER could also steer itself into the asteroid to help deflect it if there is enough time.
“Smart people are taking this seriously and thinking carefully about what might be done,” MIT impact expert Richard Binzel told BuzzFeed News. “These are reasonable ideas — well thought out.”
Or just borrowed from a couple of ‘90s movies.
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