NASA specialists, who joined the international group of scientists arXiv, proposed options for a nuclear strike to destroy asteroid 2024 YR4. This was announced on the team's website.
Scientists considered two scenarios: the first - changing the asteroid's orbit, the second - destroying it using nuclear weapons. Experts estimate that a nuclear weapon with a capacity of one megaton will be sufficient for this work.
The final decision is expected to be made at the end of 2028, when the asteroid approaches Earth. The 2024 YR4 was discovered in December and has a diameter of approximately 60 meters. It is similar in shape to a hockey puck and rotates around its axis every 20 minutes.
According to analyses, the asteroid separated from the main belt between Mars and Jupiter and is rich in silicates. The probability of its collision with Earth is estimated at 0.28 percent, and the probability of hitting the Moon is 4 percent.
Experts warn that if it hits Earth, the explosion will be 2000 times stronger than the nuclear strike in Hiroshima. If the Moon is hit, then huge layers of dust may appear, which will disable satellites, telescopes, and space stations.
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