In the movie Armageddon, Bruce Willis sacrifices his life to stop a wayward asteroid about to smash into the Earth by drilling into the rock and nuking it. But now, two NASA scientists are suggesting a safer and much more plausible way to divert a dangerous asteroid. According to an article in Science News, the scientists would use the gravitational pull of a massive, unmanned spacecraft to pull the asteroid away from impacting the Earth. The craft would rely on nuclear propulsion to reach the asteroid, and within a year, the 20-ton space vehicle could supposedly drag a 200-meter wide, 60-million ton rock away from the Earth’s path. Sounds like an idea that may not be out in orbit, after all.
Weighty idea for diverting wayward asteroids
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|2005-12-30T00:00:00-05:00December 30th, 2005|Comments Off on Weighty idea for diverting wayward asteroids