NASA Expert Sheds Light on the Potential Danger of Asteroids to Earth

Is it possible for asteroids to collide with Earth? Considering the numerous occurrences of asteroids colliding with or exploding in Earth’s atmosphere in the distant past and even in recent times, such as the notable Chelyabinsk asteroid incident.

At the moment, however, NASA says there are no known collision threats from asteroids. Small meteorites break through the earth’s atmosphere all the time and hit the ground.

One just hit a woman in the chest while she was drinking coffee on the balcony! It was small and hit the ceiling before falling on top of him.

What do scientists say?

Dr. Kelly Fast, a planetary defense expert and director of NASA’s Planetary Defense Coordination Office, explains. Dr. Fast said: “Earth has been hit by asteroids throughout its history, and it will happen again.”

According to a NASA report, space dust, meteoroids and even small asteroids hit Earth all the time, creating the meteors or “stars” you see as they break up in the atmosphere. But surface-impacting asteroid collisions are much rarer and occur on timescales of hundreds, thousands, and millions of years.

However, there are asteroids that evade detection and the threat comes from them. For example, just a few weeks ago, an asteroid threatened to pass the Earth, and no one even knew about it until it passed our planet.

The only solution available is early detection of asteroids threatening Earth is crucial. This gives sufficient warning and helps to take measures against it if necessary.

Fortunately, larger asteroids are easier to spot, and the number of such asteroids in our solar system is relatively small, which is reassuring.

Currently, NASA has tried the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) and succeeded in changing the orbit of a moving asteroid. Asteroid Didymos and its moon Dimorphos were targeted by NASA. The spacecraft collided with the latter and this changed their course considerably. However, it required a huge amount of time and preparation, which may not be available when the next asteroid surprises astronomers.