So remember a few years ago when NASA drove a spacecraft full-tilt into an asteroid, deflecting its course and proving for the first time that humanity can develop a relatively cheap, easy planetary defense system?
That's the kind of news that makes the whole planet raise their glasses in celebration.
But, alas, unfortunately there are some, ah, negative externalities to the whole affair.
Via SciTechDaily:
Astronomers at the University of Maryland found that a surprising burst of rocky debris released during the DART mission carried three times more momentum than the spacecraft. ...
When NASA's DART spacecraft struck the asteroid moon Dimorphos in September 2022, it not only achieved its goal of shifting the asteroid's orbit but also triggered the release of a large number of boulders. These fragments carried more than three times the momentum of the spacecraft itself.
Folks, if I know my disaster movies, I know that even "fragments" of an asteroid can pose devastating threats to Planet Earth.
Now, thankfully, it doesn't seem as if these asteroid chunks are going to destroy Paris, or even Strasbourg. Scientists don't seem concerned that the chunks are going to rain down on our houses anytime soon.
Still, as they note, the unexpected physics of the matter "pose challenges for future deflection strategies," meaning that the deflection strategy is "a much more complicated process than originally believed:"
'We succeeded in deflecting an asteroid, moving it from its orbit,' said Tony Farnham, the study's lead author and a research scientist in the Department of Astronomy at UMD. 'Our research shows that while the direct impact of the DART spacecraft caused this change, the boulders ejected gave an additional kick that was almost as big. That additional factor changes the physics we need to consider when planning these types of missions.'
When the space scientists say that they're suddenly unsure about steering the extinction-level asteroids away from Planet Earth:
Please figure this one out, guys, it's kinda important!
P.S. Now check out our latest video 👇
