A scientist is warning people about an extreme solution that could be the best option to knock a potentially deadly asteroid off course by 2032.
The asteroid has been described as a ‘city killer’ and it could be heading our way in the next seven years.
NASA has been closely monitoring the space rock, which is formally known as 2024 YR4, and are trying to get a better idea of just how likely it is to collide with Earth.
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According to current estimations, there is a 2.3% chance of it making impact with our planet in 2032, although it is still unknown how accurate those predictions are.
Now, one scientist is calling for an extreme solution to the problem, although we may already be too late.
Dr Robin George Andrews is the author of How to Kill an Asteroid and he has warned that in order to properly organize a planetary defence mission, you will need at least a decade to plan it.
With time running out, our only option might be to evacuate the possible impact zone or to destroy the asteroid with a nuclear bomb in space.
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Speaking to Metro, Andrews said: “This has never been tested in space because it’s technically illegal, and it would cause tensions.
“But if you put a nuclear weapon next to an asteroid – chased it through space, basically – and detonated it, it would give it an even bigger push.
“If the choice was to evacuate the area or maybe use a nuke to deflect it… I imagine people are talking about that as a possibility.”
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Humans have only ever deflected an asteroid off its course once before, when NASA conducted the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (Dart) in 2022.
By crashing a spacecraft into an asteroid, the space agency was able to veer it off course, shortening its orbit time by 33 minutes.
Talking about what would happen if the looming asteroid does make impact with Earth, Andrews said: “It would be a terrible day. It may or may not leave a crater in the middle of the city, because it might not hit the ground.
“It might blow up in the air, but the explosion is the main problem, because it would make a massive blast wave which would kill a bunch of people in the middle, and multistorey buildings for a few miles around would be knocked down.
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“For tens of miles around, people would be at risk of serious injury.”
Here’s hoping NASA comes up with a solution soon!