"The scientists have devised a system that would smash almost any asteroid to ineffectual bits by using rockets and projectiles that have already been developed."
"We possess the technology, right now, to set up a planetary defense system, says Philip Lubin, a U.C. Santa Barbara professor and the project's principal investigator."
"Historically planetary defense research has focused on deflecting asteroids by using momentum to nudge their cosmic course away from Earth."
"NASA's Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) spacecraft, which slammed into the moonlet asteroid Dimorphos in September 2022, demonstrated that deflection is possible."
Researchers at the University of California, Santa Barbara, have proposed a planetary defense program named Pulverize It, aimed at smashing hazardous asteroids. Over 2,000 potentially dangerous asteroids have been identified, and the program would utilize rockets and projectiles to pulverize these threats. Current planetary defense strategies have focused on deflecting asteroids, as demonstrated by NASA's DART mission. However, the Pulverize It approach offers a more immediate solution, capable of responding to both large and small warning times.
Read at www.scientificamerican.com
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