Nuclear weapons 'could be used to deflect asteroids'
Russian scientists argue 1967 space ban may have to be lifted if the Earth is at risk from a major collision
![Nuclear warhead](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/qyswUM5mYvRYJWEGpSfXgS-415-80.jpg)
Russian scientists have devised a plan to use nuclear weapons to blow up asteroids in the event the Earth faced an Armageddon-style impact.
For the past three years, EU-sponsored researchers have been formulating ideas to avert the kind of collision which could destroy life on the planet - and Russia's top space institute believes blowing them up could be the answer.
Under plans devised by the Central Scientific Research Institute of Machine Building, nuclear warheads would be launched into deep space to meet the asteroid before it neared Earth. The goal would not be to destroy the asteroid, but to knock it off course, the Daily Telegraph reports.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
![https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516-320-80.jpg)
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The research forms part of NEOShield, which has brought together scientists and engineers from the EU, US and Russia.
Other suggestions include a "kinetic impactor mitigation method" that would involve launching unmanned spacecraft into the surface of the asteroid to deflect it.
Protocol prohibiting the use of nuclear weapons in outer space was established back in 1967, under the Outer Space Treaty. However, the scientists suggest this could be disregarded if "the asteroid threat becomes a matter of massive destruction or even the very existence of life on the planet", according to a press release.
Hundreds of meteorites – smaller versions of asteroids - hit the Earth every year, most of them no larger than a stone. However, larger asteroids can cause huge amounts of destruction - the 65ft-wide asteroid which struck Chelyabinsk, in Russia, in 2013 damaged more than 7,000 buildings and injured 1,500 people.
To cause a "global disaster", an asteroid would have to have diameter of at least a quarter of a mile, according to Space.com. Such a collision is estimated to occur every 100,000 years. The extinction of dinosaurs is believed to have been caused by an asteroid more than six miles wide which collided with the Earth 66 million years ago, wiping out three-quarters of life on the planet.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Big Tech's answer for AI-driven job loss: universal basic income
In The Spotlight A new study reveals the strengths and limitations
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
'I will not be silent' on Gaza, says Kamala Harris
Speed Read In a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Harris supported Israel's right to defend itself while expressing a desire to end Palestinian suffering
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK Published
-
'How long can TikTok dominate as a social network?'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Nasa's 'strangest find': pure sulphur on Mars
Under the Radar Curiosity rover discovers elemental sulphur rocks, adding to 'growing evidence' of life-sustaining elements on Red Planet
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
10 recent scientific breakthroughs
In Depth From cell reparation to reef restoration
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
NASA, astronauts shrug off Starliner return trip delay
Speed Read Two astronauts are stuck on the International Space Station due to problems with Boeing’s Starliner
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
What would a colony on the Moon look like?
Today's Big Question People could be living in lunar 'houses' by 2040, says Nasa
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Celestial events to watch in 2024
The Explainer Meteor showers, eclipses and more are coming to the skies
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
What is NASA working on?
In Depth A running list of the space agency's most exciting developments
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
This year's solar storms will help future Mars astronauts
The explainer Getting to the Red Planet requires planning and a whole lot of knowledge
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
The best films and documentaries about space exploration
The Week Recommends The cosmos infiltrates Planet Earth's cinemas
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published