The Only Way To Stop A Killer Asteroid

Humanity can defend Earth from killer asteroids and comets using current technology by employing penetrators and, for larger threats, a combination of penetrators and nuclear warheads.

• Killer asteroids can be destroyed using penetrators, dense projectiles that cause the asteroid to fragment upon impact.

• Planet-killer comets require a more complex approach, using multiple penetrators followed by a nuclear explosion.

• Current technology makes planetary defense possible, requiring planning, precision, and readily available resources.

Killer asteroids pose a significant threat, but scientists have developed a method using penetrators to pulverize them before impact. For planet-killer comets, a more complex strategy involving multiple penetrators followed by a nuclear warhead is necessary to break them into fragments that will mostly miss Earth. Implementing these plans requires preparation, precision, and readily available resources.

Killer Asteroids

• 00:00:05 Killer asteroids, often spotted at the last moment, pose a significant threat, as most are loosely packed gravel heaps. Instead of nudging them, scientists propose pulverizing them with penetrators, dense, ultra-fast cosmic bullets made of tungsten. By positioning the penetrators in the asteroid's path, the impact releases a tremendous amount of energy, causing the asteroid to fragment into mostly harmless pieces.

Penetrators

• 00:04:18 Penetrators are a few meters long, slim, and made of tungsten, a metal denser and harder than rock. The longest part of the mission is getting to the asteroid in time, as we can't destroy it too close to Earth. A single penetrator, about two meters long and weighing two and a half tons, is sufficient for smaller asteroids, causing them to break apart upon impact.

Planet Killers

• 00:06:41 Planet killers, especially comets, are so vast and powerful that they would end most life on Earth in a single strike. Comets are dirty ice balls, more fragile than rock but faster, traveling at around 140,000 km per hour. If a planet killer is discovered six months before impact, destroying it requires hundreds of thousands of penetrators, a challenge given current rocket technology.

Defense Strategy

• 00:08:32 Defending against planet killers involves combining penetrators with nuclear bombs. A rocket, pre-loaded with penetrators and nuclear warheads, is launched to meet the comet beyond Mars' orbit. The rocket deploys five penetrators in sequence, followed by a final penetrator with a nuclear warhead that explodes deep within the comet, turning it into a cloud of fragments and saving humanity.