NASA just showed off how it would help save the planet from 'possible life-threatening' asteroids
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}File photo: Dwarf planet Ceres is seen in the main asteroid belt, between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, as illustrated in this undated artist's conception released by NASA January 22, 2014. (REUTERS/NASA/ESA/Handout via Reuters)
NASA has released video and simulations of how it would try to save the planet if a "life-threatening asteroid" were on course to collide with the Earth.
The government agency is using 3-D models and one of its most powerful supercomputers in order to produce simulations on a variety of astroid impact scenarios. This allows first responders and other agencies to identify threats and make better decisions should an event occur in the future.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}NASA showed off the findings on its website.
The work is being done by experts on the Asteroid Threat Assessment Project at the NASA Advanced Supercomputing facility at Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley. The efforts are in conjunction with NASA’s Planetary Defense Coordination Office.
Below is the entire video of the simulation:
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The research is shared with a number of different parties, including university scientists, national research labs and different government agencies.
The work follows an asteroid collision in 2013 in the Russian city of Chelyabinsk. The blast from the asteroid injured more than 1,200 people and damaged building 58 miles away.
Scientists have recently said they "can't rule out" a collision with asteroid 99942 Apophis, which is slated to come very close to Earth in 2029.