It Will Do When NASA Asteroid "Killer" Towards Earth

Asteroid Lander referred to as the technology that can save the earth from asteroid threat

Grownnews: El Segundo - Imagine if this had happened some time in the future of mankind: September 2020, scientists discovered an asteroid as long as 300 feet or 100 meters off toward Earth. Deadly space rock is expected to hit the area near Los Angeles, California, United States. However, the collision must be prevented. A mass evacuation is urgently needed. The fate of millions of people is at stake. If the asteroid crashing terlanjut, undoubtedly area radius of 30 miles or 48 kilometers will be razed to the ground. Building skyscrapers collapsed, tens of thousands of people feared dead.

It sounds like a Hollywood movie script. However, that does not mean it could not happen in real life. Therefore, the United States Space Agency (NASA) and the emergency management agency or the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), along with a number of other agencies conduct training and disaster simulation - what to do if true space rock, 100 meters to get to Earth.

Movie 'Armageddon' which was released in 1998 and then describe similar conditions - dramatically. Told, a group of people who are considered 'dregs of society' is sent on a mission to drill into the asteroid and detonate a nuclear bomb there to prevent a global disaster.

Film Armageddon, Source: Buena Vista Pictures

"The United States government asked us to save the planet," said Harry Stamper, played by actor Bruce Willis, in front of the crew, as quoted by the New York Times, Sunday (11/12/2016). Is that what will happen then? Of course not. Do not expect a Hollywood-style heroic story that happens in the real world.

According to the study center manager of objects near the Earth or the Center for Near-Earth Object Studies at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, Paul Chodas said the chances of asteroids that could cause damage as severe as it would lead to the Earth, is relatively small. At least until the next century.

Sightings of comets and asteroids that do orbit close to Earth's orbit. Blue is the circumference track the orbit of Mercury, Venus, and Mars. Tracks bright green color is the trajectory of the Earth's orbit. Green spots is NEO, Source: Source footage NASA JPL

NASA relied on a number of telescopes for monitoring, such as the Catalina Sky Survey at the University of Arizona - to track asteroids and comets potentially dangerous. The objects - which in essence is the rest of planet formation - could pass close to the Earth.

Center for Near-Earth Object record 659 Studies NASA asteroid that has the possibility of crashing into the Earth. "But there was nothing poses a significant threat at least within the next century, because the odds are not too large or the size of the space rock was too small," said Chodas.

Illustration of asteroid collision with Earth, Source: Discovery

"Nevertheless we must continue to seek and observe asteroids, just in case if any of the space rock was earthbound."

Starting from SMS

Exercise planetary protection measures was held on October 25, 2016 in El Segundo, California. A number of parties involved in the simulation of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory of NASA, the Department of Energy's National Laboratories, Air Force or Air Force and the California emergency services office or the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services.

Reports say, if an asteroid 'killer' known to exist, a warning will be given to 12 scientists selected using the short message (SMS) or email. For NASA, preparation is key. "It's not a matter of if - but when - we will face a situation like that," said Thomas Zurbuchen of NASA's Science Mission Directorate.

He said that, unlike in the past, people now have the ability to respond to the situation through continuous observation, prediction, planning, and mitigation. Then, Zurbuchen added, scientists will collect information about potentially dangerous space rocks that: track, route, also the size. Various observatories and telescopes based on Earth will be deployed to provide accurate data on the rock.

Illustration Bennu asteroid, Source: NASA

According to Paul Chodas, warning period for 4 years, from the first time the existence of asteroids known and is expected to crash into, maybe longer for some people. However, the times may not be enough to deflect an asteroid the size and orbit described in the simulation.

"The engineers will think the simplest way to deflect the asteroid, the spacecraft made a big and crash it into the space rock was several years before he was predicted to hit the Earth," said Chodas. How it believed could change the trajectory of the rock, so stay away from human planet.

However, to make the 'impactor kinetic' it takes two years for. Not to mention, it takes a year to send it to the asteroid. Thus, said Chodas, simulations carried out recently focused on evacuation - not 'mission deterrent' - is needed.

Earlier, about 100 leading scientists and astronauts, including Dr. Brian May and Chris Hadfield signed the declaration, which requires an increase in action to combat space objects that could potentially finish of life on Earth. Those who signed the Declaration argues 100x Asteroids, technology that can detect, track, and defend the Earth from asteroid impact effects shall be developed as soon as possible.

"The more we learn about the impact of an asteroid, the more clear that the human race did not have much time," said Brian May is also the founder and guitarist of the rock group Queen. Asteroid Awareness Day is celebrated annually on June 30 - anniversary of the Siberian Tunguska Incident.

The impact of Tunguska incident, Source: New Scientist

The space rock which falls on June 30, 1908 was the largest in history, causing devastation in the region of similar size metropolitan city, 2,000 square kilometers. Fortunately, the space rock that hit remote areas did not cause casualties. But, imagine if it happened in the middle of a bustling big city.

It is estimated that there are millions of space rocks that could harm Earth. However, only 10 thousand or only 1 percent are known to exist.

Meteor Chelyabinsk, Source: Reuters

Meteorite explosion incident in the city of Chelyabinsk, Russia in February 2013 that injured more than 1,600 people into evidence, the catastrophe could be coming from the sky.