In a plan ripped straight from the script of the 1998 movie "Armageddon," scientists have suggested a simple, if violent, method of dealing with a troublesome asteroid. Just nuke it.
But in this case, it's not Earth that is the celestial body under threat. And the plan definitely would not require sending Bruce Willis and Ben Affleck on a harrowing journey to the space rock itself.
Instead, a team of researchers that includes #NASA scientists have put forth the bold idea of launching nuclear bombs at an asteroid with a slight chance of hitting the moon in 2032.
Such a plan also comes with the added risk of inadvertently pushing the asteroid onto a collision course with Earth, the researchers claim.
But firing an arsenal of nuclear weapons at the asteroid doesn't require as much subtlety or nuance.
USA TODAY
In a plan ripped straight from the script of the 1998 movie "Armageddon," scientists have suggested a simple, if violent, method of dealing with a troublesome asteroid. Just nuke it.
But in this case, it's not Earth that is the celestial body under threat. And the plan definitely would not require sending Bruce Willis and Ben Affleck on a harrowing journey to the space rock itself.
Instead, a team of researchers that includes #NASA scientists have put forth the bold idea of launching nuclear bombs at an asteroid with a slight chance of hitting the moon in 2032.
Such a plan also comes with the added risk of inadvertently pushing the asteroid onto a collision course with Earth, the researchers claim.
But firing an arsenal of nuclear weapons at the asteroid doesn't require as much subtlety or nuance.
Read more: www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2025/09/24/nasa…
3 days ago (edited) | [YT] | 147