Russia Plans >Blow Up Asteroids With NUCLEAR BOMBS to Save Earth
Russia Developed Plan to Blow Up Asteroids Headed For Earth With NUCLEAR BOMBS in Bid to Save the Planet
Daily Mail UK, 19 January 2016 Russian space bosses developed plans to blow up asteroids heading for Earth with nuclear weapons, it has been revealed. The project, funded by the European Commission, was part of a program called NEOShield to look at ways of dealing with a killer asteroid headed for Earth. It would impact the asteroid in deep space, creating a jet-thrust effect which would alter its orbit, deflecting it away from earth. Scroll down for videos http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/...3223478936.jpg The project, funded by the European Commission, was part of a program called NEOShield to look at ways of dealing with a killer asteroid headed for Earth. Quote:
The stationing and use of nuclear weapons in space is banned under the Outer Space Treaty of 1967 - although Roscosmos believed it would be lifted if their weapon was ever needed. 'If the asteroid threat becomes a matter of serious damage or even the very existence of life on Earth, that ban would naturally be lifted,' it claimed. A strike from a mid to large sized asteroid or comet would have catastrophic effects around the world; it's widely thought that a comet strike spurred the extinction of the dinosaurs. The Telegraph said the team concluded that the safest method would be to carry out the detonation while the asteroid was still in deep space, and the aim would be to alter the object's course and direct it away from the Earth, rather than to destroy it. The project's site describes the plan as 'possibly the most effective – yet controversial – method of deflecting the largest asteroids that could hit our planet. 'This technique requires the use of a nuclear explosive close to an asteroid. 'The blast causes the outer layers of the asteroid to evaporate, acting just like rocket fuel, pushing the asteroid away from Earth. 'This is very different to the usual picture used in Hollywood of asteroids being blown up. It’s thought to be a much safer and more effective way of safeguarding the Earth.' Small space rocks rain down on Earth constantly, with most disintegrating as they blaze through the atmosphere. About 65 million years ago, an asteroid or comet roughly six miles (10 km) in diameter crashed into what is now Mexico's Yucatan peninsula, triggering global climate changes that killed off the dinosaurs along with about 75 percent of life that existed at the time, scientists say. More recently, a 65-foot-wide (20 m) asteroid broke apart over Chelyabinsk, Russia, in February 2013, shattering windows and damaging buildings. More than 1,000 people were injured by flying debris. Bombs were one option NEOShield researchers looked into. Quote:
A three-year follow up program, called NEOShield-2, was launched in March 2015. 'As many scientific researches highlight it, impacts of near-Earth objects (NEOs) have contributed to mass extinctions and evolution,' the project's website states. 'Moreover it is a proven fact that NEOs will continue to hit the Earth at irregular intervals in the future, with the potential for catastrophic damage to life and property. 'With the experience and results gained from the former NEOShield project, the NEOShield-2 consortium now is very well equipped to address all aspects of this call, including the development of a European strategy for future research and mission-related endeavours' Research from Duke Shows Meteor Impact in Slow Motion; Meteor Hits Russia Feb 15, 2013 . |
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