In February 2013 an asteroid of 19 meters in diameter flew over the skies of Russia and did not hit the Earth exactly, but if it exploded over the city of Chelyabinsk, the shock wave of the explosion in the air caused the Most windows and stained glass will explode causing more than 1,500 wounded.
This event, fortunately without fatalities, served to remind the world that the Earth is continually white from small and medium-sized asteroids, and that in any moment could be reached by a devastating one, like the one that hit Siberia at the beginning of the 20th century, or apocalyptic, like the one that ended the dinosaurs and caused the last great extinction of species 65 million years ago.h2> What would humanity do if an asteroid were to impact the earth?
Although most astronomers do not believe that we are in danger of being impacted in the next 50 years by an asteroid similar to the one that I finish with the dinosaurs (9.5 km in diameter), they do not completely rule out the possibility of an unpleasant surprise.In 2004 a 274 meter wide asteroid was detected, Apophis , in progress towards the Earth and a possible impact was estimated in 2029, but later calculations indicated that it would pass more than 80,000 kilometers, which is not much distance in astronomical terms.
For several years the European Space Agency has been carrying out monitoring and evaluation through an office of observation of activities of objects close to Earth, and has made impact simulations in order to establish a protocol of activities to present the threat of an extraterrestrial impact.
The steps of this protocol include monitoring, early detection of the threat, precise description of the object (size, composition, speed, etc.), determination of date and time of impact and precise location of the place where it will collide with the Land.Having this information would allow governments and international entities to take appropriate measures both to avoid the impact, if possible, and to establish contingency plans (evacuation, medical and humanitarian care, etc.).
Of course, if the asteroid is 10 kilometers or more, the only measure to take would be to put things in order with the world and the gods, and close the eyes, as in the extraordinary movie Melancholy , from Danish Lars von Trier…
Or not? Since the 90s of last century, in organisms such as NASA, alternatives to destroy or divert any large-sized object that threatens to impact the Earth are evaluated.Options include the use of nuclear missiles (destruction of the asteroid, as in the Armagedon and Deep Impact ) movies; of a powerful laser beam (shots from the Earth and from spacecraft to make it release gases and cause its diversion); gravitational traction (a ship that harnessing the force of gravity changes the course of the object); and until the landing and installation of solar candles to change its course.
But none of these plans will work if the threat is not detected well in advance.Since 1998, following orders from the US Congress, NASA has allocated resources to detect and follow asteroids and comets of the solar system that may constitute a threat; for this it has the global network of astronomical terrestrial observatories and some of the time of some of the space telescopes.This activity requires personnel and financial and technological resources that governments are not always willing to give.It is a too abstract threat, although present, and of a type of space science that generates little profit from the political point of view …
It is estimated that there are more than 10 million asteroids and comets of various sizes in the outer solar system with which at some point we could cross.
It should be a priority to look at those who can harm us.65 million years ago dinosaurs could not do anything to change their destiny, we could.
And you? Do you think that at some point we will see an asteroid hit Earth, will it be our end? Follow our page with the article Theories about the end of the world.
Images: andrewsrj, Eduardo Mueses, NASA Blueshift
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