Europe prepares for the fall of a giant meteorite – Context

Saturday December 20 2014 16:40:50 |

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Meteorites have fear mankind from the moment in which it was said that one of them could be responsible for the extinction of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago. But since 2013 a space rock caused 1,500 injured after falling on the Russian city of Chelyabinsk, alarms have gone on even further.

According mark the statistics, every 100,000 years a giant space rock You may hit Earth with catastrophic consequences. And to avoid this black picture seems that the major space agencies have “stepping”.

All of them have increased their efforts in the detection system asteroids whose orbits can approach the Earth . But this is not enough. Once sighted and proven its possible harmfulness the challenge is to deflect or destroy, a possibility which, according to experts, and allows current technology but has not yet been proven.

Even before traveling to Mars NASA plan to visit an asteroid to unravel the secrets of these space rocks. The equation is simple and full of logic, the more you know about them, the easier it will be to control. Even more ambitious is the plan to catch one and take it to the orbit of the moon for its attraction to keep the subject. A mission of this kind serve to test the current capacity to redirect allow asteroids and study comfortably near Earth. According holding NASA, “as long as we are able to use a robot to deflect an asteroid from its orbit and move it to where we want, we can apply these skills to drive away anyone who comes to threaten our security.”

The Russian agency Roscosmos has announced its intention to build a shield that protects the planet. It has not offered, however, great details how will this protective network beyond that should have orbiting telescopes to detect, ships that allow exploration of the object and finally interceptor missiles to deflect the asteroid or destroy it.

Educating people

The European Space Agency (ESA) has tested the response should be given to the imminent fall of a meteorite from 12 38 meters and traveling at 12 kilometers per second. It is valued as Europe might react to a disaster of this kind.

The experts have analyzed how to act 30, 26, 5 and 3 days before impact and an hour later. For example, the run should be all means to know the mass of the space rock, its composition or the exact point of impact. These are data that allow saving many lives. Even has analyzed the information that should be distributed to the public.

The meteorite Chelyabinsk showed that one of the main outstanding issues is to educate people on how to act in case of an impact. Many of the wounded were curious who came to the windows to see the great light from meteorite unaware that he was accompanied by a shock wave that threw the glass against them.

Earlier this month 100 scientists and astronauts signed a declaration requesting states more investment to the threat posed by meteorites. Space agencies seem to think alike and have redoubled their efforts. . Of course, each on its side clear=”all”

Source : http://www.abc.es/ciencia/20141220/abci-europa-ensaya -caida-asteroid-201412201603.html

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