NASA is studying a scenario for neutralizing asteroid 2024 YR4, which is moving towards the Moon and could pose a threat to it, NotebookCheck reports, citing arXiv.
According to experts, the probability of an asteroid colliding with Earth's natural satellite is about 4%, but in the event of an impact, the debris could pose risks to orbiting satellites in near-Earth orbit.
Teams from the Goddard Space Flight Center, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Johns Hopkins University, and several U.S. national laboratories are working on possible solutions. The main difficulty lies in the uncertainty about the size and mass of the asteroid. That is why two options are being considered, one of which involves the use of a nuclear charge.
The plan proposes using a device with a capacity of about one megaton. Calculations show that the explosion could break the asteroid into smaller fragments and deflect their trajectories, reducing the likelihood of a collision with the Moon or Earth.
Engineers are relying on data from the James Webb Space Telescope and predict the technology could be ready for practical use between 2029 and 2031, about a year before 2024 YR4 is expected to make its closest approach to the Moon.
Despite the low probability of an impact, NASA continues to monitor the object's trajectory. In the event of a change in its motion parameters, the agency plans to have response scenarios ready to minimize potential consequences.