Apocalyptic movies such as Armageddon have explored the potential for total destruction in the event of an asteroid strike on Earth. Although asteroids approach Earth almost every day, none of them impact the surface. But what if an asteroid, which could end life, actually hits Earth? The plan to save the planet won’t be as fancy as Bruce Willis drilling into an asteroid to nuke it. NASA has already tested its DART mission for planetary protection which involves crashing a spacecraft into an incoming asteroid to successfully divert it from its path. It could help prevent an asteroid collision and save billions of lives.
But success depends on what kind of asteroid it is. If it is not rigid or metallic, crash deflection strategies may not work well. For example, the OSIRIS-REX spacecraft visited asteroid Bennu and found it to be more debris than solid rock. The spacecraft was almost swallowed by an asteroid!
Although it is not a planet killer, but NASA has issued an alert against this asteroid, which is moving fast towards the Earth today.
asteroid 2023 gr description
NASA has issued a warning about a particular asteroid named asteroid 2023 GR, as it will come very close to Earth. The asteroid is currently traveling at a speed of about 32613 kmph and is all set to make its closest approach to Earth today, April 18, at a distance of 7.1 million kmph.
According to NASA, asteroid 2023 GR is almost as big as an airplane, with a width of between 147 feet and 328 feet. It belongs to the Amor group, which are near-Earth asteroids whose orbits are outside Earth’s but inner Mars, named after the asteroid 1221 Amor.
More About NASA’s DART Mission
In recent years, efforts have been made to track and study asteroids that could potentially threaten Earth. Last year, NASA conducted its first planetary defense test by smashing a spacecraft into an asteroid with the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) to change its course. NASA studied the asteroids Didymos and Dimorphos to better understand the potential hazard of asteroid impacts and develop techniques to deflect them. ESA’s Hera spacecraft observed the aftermath of the collision and reported the findings for further study.
Although no asteroids are expected to hit the planet and cause major devastation for at least the next 100 years, these close approaches allow us to continue studying and tracking asteroids to better understand and prepare for potential threats. Reminds us of the importance of
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This news is auto-generated through an RSS feed. We don’t have any command over it. News source: Multiple Agencies: hindustantimes, techrepublic, computerweekly,
