Scientists simulate nuclear strikes in lab to deflect dinosaur-killing asteroids

The threat of a devastating asteroid collision with Earth is a real and ever-present danger. Scientists and the space community have long wondered how they can defend our precious planet from such a disaster.

Now, researchers at US-based Sandia National Laboratories have taken a significant step toward protecting the Earth from large space rocks.

They have conducted a new experiment to test the feasibility of using nuclear weapons to deflect asteroids.

“To most people, the danger from asteroids seems remote. But our planet is hit by BB-sized asteroids every day. We call them shooting stars. We don’t want to wait for a large asteroid to show up and then scramble for the right method to deflect it,” said physicist Nathan Moore.

Experiments using powerful machine

The scientists highlight that the nuclear-assisted planetary defense could be particularly effective for larger asteroids, especially when there is limited time to react.

Rather than physically killing the asteroid, as shown in the film Armageddon, this proposed technique includes detonating nuclear explosions at a safe distance from it.

Moore and his colleagues experimented with the “Z machine,” which is considered to be the world’s most powerful pulsed-power generator. This allowed them to see how synthetic asteroids respond to abrupt shocks.

Interestingly, the experiments briefly counteracted the effects of gravity to better replicate the free-floating motion of asteroids.

The explosion vaporizes a portion of the asteroid, generating a tremendous force that forces it to detour off its path. This is consistent with Newton’s third rule of motion, which asserts that every action has an equal and opposite response.

The experiments involved subjecting simulated asteroid material to powerful X-ray pulses, which destroyed the supporting structure and rapidly vaporized the surface. This led to the forceful expulsion of the material.

For the experiment, the researchers placed a small amount of asteroid-like material in a chamber that can reach extremely high temperatures. The material was held in place by a very thin foil that vaporized when the machine was activated. It allowed the material to float freely without being affected by gravity.

“It was a novel idea,” Moore said. “A mock asteroid is suspended in space. For a one-nanometer fall, we can ignore Earth’s gravity for 20 millionths of a second as Z produces a burst of X-rays that sweeps over the mock-asteroid surface 12.5 millimeters across, about the width of a finger.

“The trick is to use just enough force to redirect the flying rock without splitting it into several equally deadly subsections advancing toward Earth,” Moore said in the press release.

Asteroid threat

The scientists say this method could be effective for asteroids up to 2.5 miles wide, but it’s possible to deflect even larger asteroids if there’s enough time to prepare.

Although devastating asteroid impacts are rare, they can be catastrophic.

The asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs was enormous – roughly 6 miles wide. The space rock killed dinosaurs about 66 million years ago.

But even much smaller space rocks can cause significant damage, as evidenced by the Chelyabinsk meteor that injured over 1,200 people in Russia.

The existential risk of asteroid impacts has prompted research into planetary defense strategies. A few years back, NASA’s DART mission validated the feasibility of kinetic impactors for asteroid deflection. However, this requires early warning of the asteroid’s approach towards the Earth.

The findings were published in the journal Nature Physics.