Tag

Planetary Defense

All articles tagged with #planetary defense

science8 days ago•9 min saved

Nuking an Asteroid Might Break It Apart, Say New Simulations

New 3D simulations based on Bennu-like rocks show a 1-megaton nuclear blast detonated a few meters above a 160-meter asteroid could vaporize surface material with X-rays, driving ablation and momentum changes that may tear the rock apart or alter its trajectory. Interestingly, a slightly farther detonation sometimes produced more widespread damage, but long-term outcomes are uncertain and the simulations are extremely compute-intensive, highlighting both the potential and limits of nuclear mitigation for planetary defense.

via ScienceAlert|

#asteroids #nuclear-mitigation #planetary-defense

space22 days ago•11 min saved

Deep-Buried Nuclear Option Could Triple Asteroid Deflection, Simulations Find

A Chinese team’s computer simulations propose a two-step nuclear method: first a penetrator digs a hole in an asteroid, then a second craft places a 3-megaton bomb about 30 metres underground to detonate beneath the surface. The study finds this buried approach could more than triple the asteroid’s deflection compared with surface explosions, though it remains purely theoretical and faces legal, safety, and feasibility caveats. In practice, safer options like kinetic deflection are preferred, and nuclear interception would only be considered in dire, late-stage scenarios if ever tested in reality.

via Space Daily|

#asteroids #buried-detonation #nuclear-deflection

science24 days ago•12 min saved

Apophis 2029 Flyby: Billions Could Witness a Close Naked-Eye Earth Pass

On 13 April 2029, asteroid 99942 Apophis will pass about 32,000 km from Earth—closer than geostationary satellites—offering a rare, world-spanning viewing event, though NASA says there is no impact risk for at least a century. New visibility maps suggest as many as 7.6 billion people could see it with the naked eye during roughly seven hours, depending on darkness and sky conditions. Scientists will study the encounter to learn about asteroid structure and gravity effects, while three spacecraft programs—ESA’s Ramses, JAXA’s DESTINY+, and NASA’s OSIRIS-APEX—will observe Apophis before, during and after the flyby as a planetary-defense rehearsal.

via Space Daily|

#apophis #astronomy #near-earth-object

science1 month ago•5 min saved

Near-Earth Object Rewrites Its Identity: A Hidden Comet Behind the Asteroid Label

Astronomers confirmed that the near-Earth object 1998 SH2, once labeled an asteroid, exhibits cometary activity (a faint coma and tail) driven by ice sublimation. Its non-gravitational motion predicted this activity before direct observation, making it the first case where orbital perturbations pointed to a comet. If dark comets are more common, they could influence Earth impact risk assessments and help explain how water may have been delivered to early Earth, with broader implications for planetary defense and interpreting objects like ‘Oumuamua.

via ScienceAlert|

#1998-sh2 #dark-comets #near-earth-object

space1 month ago•104 min saved

1998 SH2: A Near-Earth Object Reclassified as a Comet, Illuminating Planetary Defense

Astronomers using NASA radar and decades of precise astrometry determined that the near-Earth object 1998 SH2 is actually an active comet with a faint tail. The discovery, supported by observations from the Very Large Telescope and CFHT and published in Nature Astronomy, shows nongravitational forces from outgassing that can alter an object's orbit, improving how we identify hidden comets among near-Earth objects and assess potential impact risks.

via Space|

#1998-sh2 #comets #near-earth-objects

space1 month ago•2 min saved

China Plans Mach 26 Asteroid-Deflection Test to Protect Earth

China's CNSA outlines a two-spacecraft, Mach-26 asteroid-deflection test scheduled for a 2029–2030 Earth-close approach, targeting near-Earth asteroid 2015 XF261 (~30 meters) and altering its trajectory relative to Earth. One craft would strike the asteroid while a second observes its orbit, shape, and surface both before and after impact. The mission would launch the two spacecraft together and aims to provide a more realistic planetary-defense scenario than NASA's DART, which changed Dimorphos’ orbit by about 33 minutes and used follow-on observations from LICIACube and Hera.

via Gizmodo|

#asteroid-deflection #china #near-earth-asteroid

space1 month ago•10 min saved

China eyes Mach-26 asteroid deflection test to outpace DART

China plans a Mach-26 asteroid deflection test using an impactor and an observing spacecraft to directly alter the trajectory of near-Earth asteroid 2015 XF261, potentially in 2029–2030, aiming to simulate a realistic planetary-defense scenario and advance capabilities beyond NASA’s DART.

via Interesting Engineering|

#2015-xf261 #asteroid-defense #china

science1 month ago•52 min saved

Hayabusa2’s daring 800-meter flyby reveals Torifune as a contact-binary asteroid

Japan’s JAXA Hayabusa2 mission carried out an exceptionally close flyby of near-Earth asteroid Torifune, reaching about 800 meters from the asteroid’s center at a speed of roughly 5.3 km/s after months of debate over safety. The flyby produced high-resolution imagery showing Torifune is a contact-binary asteroid larger than anticipated, with all four science instruments returning data and the most urgent data downlinked, while the full 300 MB dataset will arrive later. The mission demonstrates rapid asteroid characterization capabilities and could inform future planetary-defense efforts, including potential impactor-style investigations.

via Yahoo|

#close-flyby #hayabusa2 #jaxa

space1 month ago•106 min saved

China plots space-ground early-warning system for sunward asteroids

China's space agency announced plans to develop a coordinated space-ground asteroid early-warning network that would combine ground-based optical telescopes with a space-based observing constellation to detect near-Earth asteroids, especially those approaching from the sunward direction. The proposed architecture includes a basic model with a Sun-Earth L1 satellite plus northern and southern ground stations, and an extended model that adds Venus-like or distant retrograde orbits to improve sky coverage. The move aligns with China’s 15th Five-Year Plan, complements ongoing international efforts (e.g., NASA's DART, ESA's Hera), and emphasizes open data sharing and potential radar capabilities as gaps in current asteroid tracking persist. The development comes amid calls for stronger planetary defense and the upcoming International Year of Planetary Defense in 2029 and notable close approaches such as Apophis' flyby.

via Space|

#asteroids #cnsa #near-earth-objects

space-and-spaceflight1 month ago•16 min saved

Inside-Out Nukes: A New Plan to Stop Large Asteroids

Chinese researchers propose using a nuclear blast to destroy or rapidly deflect a large asteroid by carving a crater and detonating a warhead inside; their models favor a pre-excavation detonation for deep energy transfer, potentially making this approach more effective than surface-only hits for rocks around 100 meters in size and offering two defense modes: direct-impact detonation and pre-excavation detonation.

via Gizmodo|

#asteroid-impact #asteroids #nuclear-detonation

space1 month ago•1 min saved

Hayabusa2 completes Torifune asteroid flyby, on track to 2031 target

Japan's Hayabusa2 completed a high-speed flyby of the Torifune asteroid as part of its Extended Mission, with data confirming success and potential image release; the probe continues toward its final target in 2031 and aims to advance close-approach technology for planetary defense.

via nhk.or.jp|

#asteroid #hayabusa2 #jaxa

space1 month ago•13 min saved

Jupiter’s 1994 Comet Shower: A Turning Point for Space Observation and Defense

In July 1994, 21 fragments of Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 slammed into Jupiter over six days, marking the first direct observation of a collision between solar-system bodies. Triggered by Brian Marsden’s 1993 orbital prediction, a coordinated global observing effort captured unprecedented data (Hubble, Galileo, Ulysses, Voyager 2) and revealed an enormous energy release (about 40 million megatons total; fragment G ~6 million megatons) that left a 12,000-km scar. The event reshaped space policy, leading to NASA’s Spaceguard Survey in 1998 to catalog near-Earth asteroids and informing modern planetary-defense efforts such as the 2022 DART mission; it also cemented Eugene Shoemaker’s legacy in lunar exploration.

via Space Daily|

#comet #jupiter #planetary-defense

science-and-tech1 month ago•25 min saved

Could We Spot a Doomsday Asteroid Before It Strikes?

The article asks if humanity could detect an extinction-level asteroid before impact, using the dinosaurs’ 10 km carbonaceous impactor as a case study. It explains that warning time depends on the object’s origin, speed (~21 km/s), and whether it brightens from outgassing; best-case scenarios could offer weeks to a month of naked-eye visibility if the body comes from the night side and becomes bright, but more typical cases might yield only days or hours, or no warning at all if it’s sun-ward or depleted of volatiles. It also highlights how albedo and orbital geometry affect detectability, and stresses the need for planetary defense to gain decades of lead time for meaningful intervention.

via Big Think|

#albedo #asteroid #chicxulub

science1 month ago•9 min saved

Tunguska 1908: How a Siberian Skyburst Redefined Our View of Space Threats

A 1908 Tunguska skyburst over Siberia flattened forests across a vast area without a crater, forcing a shift in meteor science toward recognizing airbursts and the potential for atmospheric explosions to cause widespread damage. The long-standing asteroid-or-comet identity debate persisted for decades, but later events like Chelyabinsk highlighted the real threat of such bursts. Today, improved detection and defense efforts—through projects like NASA's NEO Surveyor, the Vera Rubin Observatory, and the DART mission—aim to forecast and, if needed, alter the course of hazardous near-Earth objects, though warning times remain highly dependent on an object's approach vector.

via NDTV|

#airburst #chelyabinsk #near-earth-objects

science1 month ago•6 min saved

A Decade of Planetary Defense: Gains Made, But More Skywatching Is Needed

International Asteroid Day marks 10 years of progress in defending Earth from space rocks, with nearly 40,000 near-Earth objects identified and NASA's DART mission proving a redirect of an asteroid is possible. Yet experts warn we still lack enough telescopes to spot all threats; the upcoming Near-Earth Object Surveyor aims to detect two-thirds of potentially hazardous asteroids, as events like the 2029 Apophis close approach highlight the ongoing need for vigilant skywatching.

via ABC News - Breaking News, Latest News and Videos|

#asteroids #dart #near-earth-object-surveyor