The odds are low but not non-existent. About 65 million years ago, a gigantic asteroid more than twelve kilometers in diameter It hit the Earth and triggered a mass extinction that wiped out the dinosaurs. Nothing prevents another gigantic space rock from heading towards our planet at some point. But now, unlike what happened in the era of tyrannosaurs, Humanity already has several “planetary defense programs” underway to confront future space threats. For decades, the world’s great space agencies, astronomical observatories and even astro-amateurs They monitor the passage of asteroids close to our planet so that, when the time comes, we can respond to the arrival of a gigantic space rock.
Like any scientific program worth its salt, the war against asteroids began with the titanic task of collecting data. For more than eight decades, humanity has been working to study and catalog all asteroids and comets close to our planet. The Harvard Astrophysical Observatory was one of the first to create a program of this style back in 1947. Others followed, such as the Lincoln program launched in 1996. At this time there are already dozens of similar projects in all corners of the planet. And right now, according to the latest estimates, it would have already been achieved track at least 95% of asteroids of more than a kilometer in diameter that pass close to our planet (and for now, it seems that none of them will approach our planet in the next thousand years).
The UN has an Office of Outer Space Affairs and NASA has a Planetary Defense platform
But what would happen if, eventually, one of these giant space rocks were headed our way? This is where the planetary defense offices. United NationsFor example, it has a Office of Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) in charge of “monitoring asteroids” and, eventually, “coordinating a global response” to deal with possible threats. This entity works jointly with space agencies, astronomical observatories and research centers.
In 2016, POT He also created his own Planetary Defense Coordination Office (PDCO). All these institutions collaborate under the ‘Spaceguard’ philosophythat is, the idea that we need a “common front” to monitor asteroids and, eventually, act to prevent their impact.
Asteroid deflection missions
In recent decades, much progress has also been made in missions focused on deflecting asteroids. In 1967, the first theoretical project on how to deflect an asteroid, known at the time as Icarus, was devised. Years later, the European Space Agency and NASA began working on missions to test this type of technology. All this ended up coming together in the ddesigner of the well-known DART missionthe first launched to divert the course of a space rock.
Humanity has already managed to divert the course of an asteroid with the DART mission
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This project was launched in 2015, launched in November 2021 and finally impacted the asteroid Dimorfos in September 2022. Further analysis confirmed that this collision had managed to modify the trajectory of the asteroid. This, in turn, also confirmed that humanity has at least one effective tool to deflect space rocks heading our way.
This entire battery of projects, from those focused on the observation of asteroids to missions to divert them, provide humanity with a certain peace of mind when looking at the cosmos. At this time, there is no imminent threat stalking us from space. Of course, given what happened to the dinosaurs, It is better to be prepared for what may happen..