Russia Considering Building Spacecraft to Combat Asteroid
By Chris Weiss
The idea of a giant asteroid colliding with Earth is just terrifying enough to spend billions to avoid. According to Russian space agency Ruscosmos, an asteroid named Apophis measuring 850 feet presents enough of a threat to Earth to demand action. The asteroid could possibly hit Earth and unleash its havoc sometime in the 2030s. Instead of twiddling thumbs and sitting idly waiting for the possible disaster, the Russian agency is currently considering designing a spacecraft that could prevent the collision.
Anatoly Perminov who heads Ruscosmos spoke with Voice of Russia radio and mentioned that the Russians may solicit help from other countries including the U.S., China and Europe. He made the case that the asteroid poses a risk to hundreds of thousands of people and demands attention from the space community. He didn’t offer any details of what exactly the spacecraft would do to handle the asteroid but did rule out nuclear explosions.
Arguing against the case to intercept are the lowering odds of the asteroid strike. Originally considered to be as high as 1 in 37 for a 2029 collision, the odds have been lowered over time and a recent NASA estimate puts them at 1 in 250,000 (2036).
Even with those tiny odds, the idea of an 850-foot asteroid careening toward Earth does inspire one to root for the Russians. [AP via USA Today] [Photo: goldenrectangle]
