How to protect the Earth from asteroids?

Threats from space are known to us from science-fiction movies. However, since the fall of Chelyabinsk meteorite, scientists have warned against the real threat posed by dangerous space objects to Earth. We are already looking for ideas for the defense of the Earth.

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According to the scientists, the nearest dangerous moments for the Earth await us in 2022, 2025, 2032, 2035 and 2039. The current knowledge indicates an increased risk of close flights of large asteroids in these years. Assuming that we know about an asteroid approaching us, we can do a lot of things to avoid collisions. There are many ideas. The simplest is a deliberate collision with a large spaceship that will change the course of a small asteroid. The kinetic energy of such a collision could be enough to change the course of a really large object. NASA experimented with such action in the Deep Impact mission, where it hit a comet. Currently, the construction of a nearly 9-tonne ship is planned, which can be used to change the course of the Apophis asteroid before its close passage in 2029 or the Bennu asteroid before 2035.

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Nuclear weapons could be used for larger objects. Detonating nuclear warheads at some distance from an asteroid or comet could change its trajectory, while not breaking it into many smaller, still dangerous objects. We do not know the consequences of such action and it must be borne in mind that bad use of nuclear weapons can bring even more danger to Earth, which is why it is possible that it will only be used as a last resort, with a very high chance of collision.

Greetings to lovers of Astronomy!

Sources:
Deep Impact mission
Asteroid Apophis
Asteroid Bennu

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