The asteroid on a collision course with Earth that could leave an indelible mark on the history of humanity forever: the surprising results of the NASA study.
The night sky has always fascinated humanity, with its infinite mysteries and the vastness of space that seems to have no boundaries. Everyone, at least once, has stopped to look at the stars and reflect on the universe. Our understanding of the universe is still limited, and unanswered questions continue to amaze and scare us at the same time.
One of the greatest collective fears concerns the possibility of an asteroid hitting the Earth, causing a catastrophe similar to that which, about 65 million years ago, led to the extinction of the dinosaurs. But a recent NASA study revealed a surprising discovery: what if it was an asteroid that united us and saved us?
The asteroid against the Earth
The question may seem strange: how could an asteroid, a much feared threat, become a uniting factor for humanity? Experts argue that addressing such a large threat would require unprecedented international cooperation. To prevent a global disaster, nations should work together, proving that there is strength in unity.
L’UN has already developed procedures to respond to catastrophic events such as tsunamis and earthquakes, but an asteroid impact would require a much larger coordination effort. It would be necessary organize large-scale evacuations in risk areas, assuming the asteroid’s trajectory can be calculated with sufficient precision. While no known asteroids pose an immediate threat so far, the possibility cannot be ruled out in the future. For example, the asteroid Apophis will pass about 37,000 km from Earth in 2029a relatively small distance in cosmic terms.
NASA studies
There NASAin collaboration with the United States Federal Emergency Management Agency, recently conducted the fifth Interagency Planetary Defense Exercise, an asteroid threat simulation. This exercise, held April 2 and 3, 2024 at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Maryland, involved nearly 100 people from various federal and international agencies.
Previous exercises, carried out in 2013, 2014, 2016 and 2022, aimed to assess the response capacity to a potential space threat. In the last simulation, was considered an asteroid with a 72% chance of hitting Earth on July 12, 2038, with a point of impact that could include cities such as Dallas, Memphis, Madrid and Algiers. Researchers do not yet have precise details on the asteroid’s composition and size, as it is currently hidden behind the Sun, making new observations impossible for the next seven months.
