1 00:00:02,200 --> 00:00:06,760 Speaker 1: From the newsroom and you still come today. Gooday there, 2 00:00:06,800 --> 00:00:09,920 Speaker 1: I'm Andrew Bucklow. We've got so many intriguing stories coming 3 00:00:09,960 --> 00:00:12,000 Speaker 1: for you on news dot com dot autoday. Do you 4 00:00:12,039 --> 00:00:14,000 Speaker 1: want a little bit of a sneak peek? Of course 5 00:00:14,080 --> 00:00:17,200 Speaker 1: you do. Let me take you inside our daily editorial 6 00:00:17,239 --> 00:00:19,799 Speaker 1: meeting where all the ideas are pitched. Have a listen 7 00:00:19,880 --> 00:00:21,080 Speaker 1: to this cracker. 8 00:00:20,880 --> 00:00:25,239 Speaker 2: Dare ice coffee sent like a bunch of people emails 9 00:00:25,280 --> 00:00:29,080 Speaker 2: saying they'd one like one thousand dollars gillaway, and then 10 00:00:29,200 --> 00:00:31,840 Speaker 2: like hours later they realized that they'd sent it on 11 00:00:32,040 --> 00:00:34,720 Speaker 2: mass to heaps of customers. 12 00:00:34,280 --> 00:00:36,239 Speaker 3: And then had to tell everyone that none of them 13 00:00:36,240 --> 00:00:37,320 Speaker 3: had won the thousand. 14 00:00:37,040 --> 00:00:40,600 Speaker 1: Dollars, how dare they? One of the editors also spoke 15 00:00:40,640 --> 00:00:43,199 Speaker 1: about a story our travel team is working on regarding 16 00:00:43,240 --> 00:00:47,279 Speaker 1: a quantus business class hack. It's a bigw everyday rewards 17 00:00:47,280 --> 00:00:50,199 Speaker 1: bene where if you buy this random bath toy like 18 00:00:50,200 --> 00:00:53,720 Speaker 1: a rubber duck, convert it to a thousand frequent flypoints 19 00:00:54,120 --> 00:00:55,000 Speaker 1: and so if. 20 00:00:54,880 --> 00:00:58,160 Speaker 2: You buy however many of those, you can basically get 21 00:00:58,200 --> 00:00:59,720 Speaker 2: yourself like a business class flight. 22 00:01:00,040 --> 00:01:02,520 Speaker 1: And she interviewed the guy who discovered it and has 23 00:01:02,520 --> 00:01:04,640 Speaker 1: made it go viral. I bet you're going to google 24 00:01:04,680 --> 00:01:06,920 Speaker 1: that story as soon as this podcast is over, aren't you? 25 00:01:06,959 --> 00:01:09,360 Speaker 1: And fair enough, we all love a hack. There's also 26 00:01:09,400 --> 00:01:11,480 Speaker 1: another article online at news dot com dot A you 27 00:01:11,680 --> 00:01:14,800 Speaker 1: right now which is a little bit concerning, to be honest. 28 00:01:15,040 --> 00:01:19,080 Speaker 1: The headline is odds of city killing asteroids striking Earth increase. 29 00:01:19,640 --> 00:01:21,120 Speaker 1: That is not what you want to hear, is it? 30 00:01:21,120 --> 00:01:22,880 Speaker 1: It makes me think of that movie Armageddin. 31 00:01:23,200 --> 00:01:25,680 Speaker 3: What is this thing? So an asteroid? 32 00:01:25,760 --> 00:01:25,960 Speaker 1: Sir? 33 00:01:26,600 --> 00:01:30,160 Speaker 3: How big are we talking? Sir? Our best estimate is 34 00:01:30,200 --> 00:01:32,199 Speaker 3: ninety seven point six pot it's the size of Texas, 35 00:01:32,280 --> 00:01:36,720 Speaker 3: mister president. Yes, sir, who's this going to hit us? 36 00:01:37,240 --> 00:01:39,600 Speaker 3: We're efforting that as we speak, sir? What kind of 37 00:01:39,720 --> 00:01:43,759 Speaker 3: damnaid do we damage? Total? Sir? 38 00:01:44,080 --> 00:01:47,000 Speaker 1: Thankfully, the asteroid mentioned in this article online right now 39 00:01:47,080 --> 00:01:49,640 Speaker 1: isn't that big. But still I want more details. I'm 40 00:01:49,680 --> 00:01:52,120 Speaker 1: sure you want more details too, So in just a 41 00:01:52,160 --> 00:01:55,120 Speaker 1: moment I'll be joined by an astrophysicist. He'll explain just 42 00:01:55,200 --> 00:02:01,200 Speaker 1: how worried we should be. Joining me now is Professor 43 00:02:01,240 --> 00:02:04,480 Speaker 1: Alan Duffy, and astrophysicist from Swinburn, UNI. Thank you so 44 00:02:04,560 --> 00:02:06,120 Speaker 1: much for Chattington News dot com dot. 45 00:02:06,040 --> 00:02:07,920 Speaker 3: AU oh, thanks so much for having me. 46 00:02:08,080 --> 00:02:10,640 Speaker 1: So rumor has it there's an asteroid called twenty twenty 47 00:02:10,680 --> 00:02:13,440 Speaker 1: four yr four it could be heading our way. I 48 00:02:13,480 --> 00:02:15,560 Speaker 1: am freaking out, Alan, What are the odds this thing 49 00:02:15,639 --> 00:02:16,360 Speaker 1: is going to hit Earth? 50 00:02:17,840 --> 00:02:21,120 Speaker 4: So we think right now it's two percent or roughly 51 00:02:21,320 --> 00:02:23,239 Speaker 4: one in fifty chance. 52 00:02:23,760 --> 00:02:25,040 Speaker 3: I don't know if you think that sounds like a 53 00:02:25,040 --> 00:02:28,799 Speaker 3: lot or not by astronomy standards. 54 00:02:28,919 --> 00:02:33,400 Speaker 4: That means this thing is much more likely to hit 55 00:02:33,480 --> 00:02:36,040 Speaker 4: us than we are comfortable with, and it is getting 56 00:02:36,080 --> 00:02:38,640 Speaker 4: a lot of attention by NASA, the European Space Ancy 57 00:02:38,639 --> 00:02:39,120 Speaker 4: and others. 58 00:02:39,520 --> 00:02:42,000 Speaker 1: When do they think this thing could potentially hit Earth? 59 00:02:43,680 --> 00:02:48,520 Speaker 4: On December twenty second, twenty thirty two, So we have 60 00:02:48,600 --> 00:02:51,680 Speaker 4: a few years before then. We have a lot of 61 00:02:51,680 --> 00:02:55,440 Speaker 4: time to observe its motion and try to better at 62 00:02:55,520 --> 00:02:58,480 Speaker 4: nail down exactly its path through space and whether we 63 00:02:58,560 --> 00:03:01,080 Speaker 4: will be in the wrong place at that time and 64 00:03:01,120 --> 00:03:01,560 Speaker 4: get hit. 65 00:03:01,960 --> 00:03:04,639 Speaker 3: So we'll have plenty of warning. But seven years out, 66 00:03:04,720 --> 00:03:06,800 Speaker 3: the fact that something as big as this has only 67 00:03:06,840 --> 00:03:10,079 Speaker 3: just been seen is it's a little surprising. 68 00:03:10,120 --> 00:03:11,840 Speaker 4: The fact that it's got this big a chance to 69 00:03:11,919 --> 00:03:14,240 Speaker 4: hit us is well, it's certainly got our attention. 70 00:03:14,520 --> 00:03:16,280 Speaker 1: Pretty rude that this thing could hit just a few 71 00:03:16,360 --> 00:03:19,240 Speaker 1: days before Christmas. You mentioned size there. Do we know 72 00:03:19,280 --> 00:03:20,440 Speaker 1: how big this thing is? 73 00:03:21,760 --> 00:03:22,840 Speaker 3: Look, it's a little uncertain. 74 00:03:22,919 --> 00:03:25,320 Speaker 4: So what we can see is the light that's reflected 75 00:03:25,440 --> 00:03:28,840 Speaker 4: off the asteroid back to Earth, so the sunlight. 76 00:03:29,600 --> 00:03:31,640 Speaker 3: So from that the mount of brightness. 77 00:03:31,639 --> 00:03:36,560 Speaker 4: We think it's between forty and nineteen meters across, So 78 00:03:36,760 --> 00:03:39,920 Speaker 4: that's the so called city killer range. 79 00:03:40,480 --> 00:03:42,840 Speaker 3: If it were to hit at those typical. 80 00:03:42,520 --> 00:03:46,880 Speaker 4: Speeds thousands of kilometers for hour, it would have an 81 00:03:46,920 --> 00:03:50,120 Speaker 4: ability to wipe out an era of about a city. 82 00:03:50,280 --> 00:03:50,880 Speaker 3: It's the name. 83 00:03:51,040 --> 00:03:55,120 Speaker 4: So it's not the dinosaur wiping out level common impact 84 00:03:55,200 --> 00:03:57,800 Speaker 4: by any means, but certainly a very bad day if 85 00:03:57,840 --> 00:03:59,280 Speaker 4: it hits the wrong place on Earth. 86 00:03:59,480 --> 00:04:02,160 Speaker 1: Have we ever I had an asteroid that size hit 87 00:04:02,240 --> 00:04:03,720 Speaker 1: Earth in recent memory? 88 00:04:04,440 --> 00:04:05,440 Speaker 3: Oh? Absolutely so. 89 00:04:05,680 --> 00:04:09,200 Speaker 4: Just around a century ago the region in Siberia was 90 00:04:09,240 --> 00:04:12,240 Speaker 4: hit by something about this side, that tom Guska blast. 91 00:04:12,440 --> 00:04:18,200 Speaker 4: It wiped out about two thousand square kilometers worth of forest. 92 00:04:18,720 --> 00:04:22,839 Speaker 4: The pictures are astonishing where you can clearly see the 93 00:04:23,040 --> 00:04:25,880 Speaker 4: impact where it was centered, and then just every tree 94 00:04:26,080 --> 00:04:29,039 Speaker 4: for the houses of Groklometers is blasted over. 95 00:04:29,160 --> 00:04:31,320 Speaker 3: So that would be a real problem for it hit, 96 00:04:31,480 --> 00:04:35,279 Speaker 3: of course, a populated area. Thankfully most of the planet 97 00:04:35,640 --> 00:04:39,160 Speaker 3: is water. Even the landed areas are mostly empty, so 98 00:04:39,680 --> 00:04:40,280 Speaker 3: it will. 99 00:04:40,240 --> 00:04:43,840 Speaker 4: Very likely if it ever does hit us, hit an 100 00:04:43,920 --> 00:04:48,000 Speaker 4: empty region instead, be an absolutely stunning fire ball. As 101 00:04:48,040 --> 00:04:50,920 Speaker 4: something that large would come crashing through the app it's 102 00:04:50,920 --> 00:04:51,800 Speaker 4: sting to be something to watch. 103 00:04:51,839 --> 00:04:53,640 Speaker 3: You just wouldn't want to watch it too closely. 104 00:04:54,200 --> 00:04:57,080 Speaker 1: Well, hopefully it doesn't happen. As you said, we've got 105 00:04:57,080 --> 00:05:00,720 Speaker 1: a few years between now and this potential collision. What 106 00:05:00,760 --> 00:05:02,919 Speaker 1: can we do between now and then to try and 107 00:05:03,000 --> 00:05:05,320 Speaker 1: alter its course? If we do, Dean that it's going 108 00:05:05,400 --> 00:05:05,800 Speaker 1: to heat. 109 00:05:05,680 --> 00:05:09,880 Speaker 3: Earth, so we can buy better understanding it's orbit. 110 00:05:10,000 --> 00:05:12,160 Speaker 4: And then really, as I say, being very sure that 111 00:05:12,279 --> 00:05:15,680 Speaker 4: it does hit us, we'll be able to intercept. Our 112 00:05:15,720 --> 00:05:18,360 Speaker 4: options are twofold. You can either have what's called a 113 00:05:18,480 --> 00:05:21,520 Speaker 4: kinetic interceptors, so in other words, hit it at great 114 00:05:21,560 --> 00:05:24,200 Speaker 4: speeds with a rocket and hopefully nudge it. And you 115 00:05:24,240 --> 00:05:26,640 Speaker 4: really don't have to nudge it very much. NASA has 116 00:05:26,800 --> 00:05:30,560 Speaker 4: practiced this already on another asteroid, so we know we 117 00:05:30,640 --> 00:05:32,839 Speaker 4: have the ability to reach out and hit an asteroid 118 00:05:33,920 --> 00:05:36,880 Speaker 4: at speed and as say, slightly deflected, and you really 119 00:05:36,920 --> 00:05:38,960 Speaker 4: need to only move it bye well the width of 120 00:05:39,000 --> 00:05:43,680 Speaker 4: the Earth to avoid its hitting us. We could also imagine, 121 00:05:44,320 --> 00:05:46,919 Speaker 4: well the sci fi classics of nuking it. 122 00:05:48,000 --> 00:05:50,240 Speaker 3: That's a really unpopular idea. 123 00:05:50,680 --> 00:05:54,640 Speaker 4: The challenges You essentially can break it up fragmented, so 124 00:05:54,680 --> 00:05:57,200 Speaker 4: the pieces more or less stay in the same way, 125 00:05:57,200 --> 00:05:59,360 Speaker 4: but instead of one object you get hit by rather 126 00:05:59,560 --> 00:06:01,480 Speaker 4: sort of look, you get hit by a shotgun blast 127 00:06:02,000 --> 00:06:04,000 Speaker 4: and all of that's radioactive because you're just far to 128 00:06:04,080 --> 00:06:06,799 Speaker 4: new cat it. So we don't like that option anymore. 129 00:06:06,839 --> 00:06:09,480 Speaker 4: Bruce Whillis fans, I'm sorry, we're not on that path. 130 00:06:09,960 --> 00:06:14,280 Speaker 4: And the other is a essentially a gravity tractor. So 131 00:06:14,680 --> 00:06:18,520 Speaker 4: by having a spacecraft near the asteroid, the asteroids gravity 132 00:06:18,600 --> 00:06:23,640 Speaker 4: pulls the spacecraft towards it, but in return, the spacecraft. 133 00:06:23,000 --> 00:06:25,760 Speaker 3: Pulls ever so slightly that asteroid towards it. 134 00:06:25,960 --> 00:06:28,120 Speaker 4: And now you just move your spacecraft a little further 135 00:06:28,160 --> 00:06:31,000 Speaker 4: back and repeat and ever so slightly you are beginning 136 00:06:31,040 --> 00:06:35,760 Speaker 4: to pull the asteroid off its trajectory. It's a wonderful, 137 00:06:35,800 --> 00:06:38,479 Speaker 4: elegant idea. It would absolutely work if you have enough 138 00:06:38,560 --> 00:06:41,680 Speaker 4: time to begin to nudget. So we'll just have to 139 00:06:41,720 --> 00:06:44,159 Speaker 4: find out just well how much time we really have 140 00:06:44,600 --> 00:06:48,040 Speaker 4: but the fact that that's has already practiced intercepted mission 141 00:06:48,240 --> 00:06:49,680 Speaker 4: just a couple of years ago, it makes me very 142 00:06:49,680 --> 00:06:51,680 Speaker 4: confident that we could always rely on that. 143 00:06:52,000 --> 00:06:54,200 Speaker 1: Stick around more. Coming up with Professor Allen Duffy in 144 00:06:54,320 --> 00:07:01,920 Speaker 1: just a moment ware chatting to Alan Duffy and astrophysicist 145 00:07:01,960 --> 00:07:04,320 Speaker 1: from Swinburn UNI. Just before the break, Allen, you were 146 00:07:04,360 --> 00:07:06,120 Speaker 1: talking about a few things we could do to alter 147 00:07:06,200 --> 00:07:08,240 Speaker 1: the course of this asteroid if it is going to 148 00:07:08,279 --> 00:07:11,440 Speaker 1: hit Earth. Just out of interest, who would be responsible 149 00:07:11,560 --> 00:07:13,760 Speaker 1: for paying for that mission? Because I imagine it would 150 00:07:13,800 --> 00:07:15,960 Speaker 1: cost quite a lot. Is it NASA or does every 151 00:07:16,000 --> 00:07:19,160 Speaker 1: country kind of have to tip in a few bucks? 152 00:07:19,880 --> 00:07:22,720 Speaker 4: Look well, them actual mission would be carried out by 153 00:07:22,880 --> 00:07:26,480 Speaker 4: the likes of NASA, very likely in combination with Space AINC. 154 00:07:27,080 --> 00:07:29,040 Speaker 3: Jackson of the Chinese SPASE, Ainng and others. 155 00:07:29,040 --> 00:07:30,920 Speaker 4: I think it's fair to say that the world would 156 00:07:30,920 --> 00:07:33,320 Speaker 4: not want to leave it just to anyone in group. However, 157 00:07:33,520 --> 00:07:36,640 Speaker 4: we don't really have a system in place for sharing 158 00:07:36,800 --> 00:07:40,000 Speaker 4: the costs. I suspect the US government went have to 159 00:07:40,040 --> 00:07:41,440 Speaker 4: just reach out and as. 160 00:07:41,400 --> 00:07:42,880 Speaker 3: They ask people to chip in. 161 00:07:43,760 --> 00:07:47,600 Speaker 4: There's a formal United Nations Office of Outer Space Affairs 162 00:07:48,440 --> 00:07:51,400 Speaker 4: that's the closest thing we have to a unified response, 163 00:07:51,440 --> 00:07:54,880 Speaker 4: But really that's more a place where when you find 164 00:07:54,920 --> 00:07:58,040 Speaker 4: an asteroid of this level of thread, you notify. So 165 00:07:58,080 --> 00:08:02,480 Speaker 4: we have a bureaucratic office where this information is shared, 166 00:08:02,720 --> 00:08:03,160 Speaker 4: but not. 167 00:08:03,520 --> 00:08:05,240 Speaker 3: Actually mission planned. 168 00:08:05,800 --> 00:08:08,040 Speaker 4: I think to say, we would figure out a way 169 00:08:08,080 --> 00:08:11,160 Speaker 4: to do this, but we haven't yet got in place 170 00:08:11,200 --> 00:08:15,440 Speaker 4: the bureaucracy to actually mobilize the world to combat as 171 00:08:15,520 --> 00:08:19,560 Speaker 4: kind of a hazard. I suspect if the odds increase 172 00:08:19,760 --> 00:08:21,720 Speaker 4: in the next couple of years, the next flyby and 173 00:08:21,720 --> 00:08:25,400 Speaker 4: we get better observations, I think we're going to see 174 00:08:25,440 --> 00:08:28,680 Speaker 4: a lot more activity about governments actually figuring out exactly 175 00:08:28,720 --> 00:08:32,080 Speaker 4: how they can deflect this asteroid, and of course then 176 00:08:32,360 --> 00:08:34,200 Speaker 4: figure out who can pay for it all. 177 00:08:34,320 --> 00:08:37,680 Speaker 1: Right, In conclusion, Professor Alan Duffy, how worried should we 178 00:08:37,800 --> 00:08:39,240 Speaker 1: be about twenty twenty four? 179 00:08:39,600 --> 00:08:43,760 Speaker 4: YI four, I would not be that worried at all. 180 00:08:43,920 --> 00:08:47,800 Speaker 4: It is one to fifty chance. I strongly suspect those 181 00:08:47,840 --> 00:08:50,160 Speaker 4: odd won't go up, and if anything, they will vastly 182 00:08:50,200 --> 00:08:53,920 Speaker 4: diminish as we see its path better. There's lots more 183 00:08:53,960 --> 00:08:57,800 Speaker 4: things to worry about in the coming seven years this asteroid, 184 00:08:58,360 --> 00:08:59,120 Speaker 4: But don't worry. 185 00:08:59,280 --> 00:09:01,319 Speaker 3: I'll be back to it to freak you all out. 186 00:09:01,360 --> 00:09:04,280 Speaker 1: If the old it's going to increase, Professor Allan Duffy, 187 00:09:04,280 --> 00:09:06,160 Speaker 1: thank you so much for chatting thanews dot com dot au. 188 00:09:06,640 --> 00:09:07,640 Speaker 3: Thanks so much for having me. 189 00:09:08,200 --> 00:09:10,440 Speaker 1: So if they determine this asteroid is going to hit 190 00:09:10,440 --> 00:09:13,280 Speaker 1: Earth and cause a substantial amount of damage, I just 191 00:09:13,360 --> 00:09:15,200 Speaker 1: want to put my hand up to get a ticket 192 00:09:15,240 --> 00:09:17,200 Speaker 1: to one of those bunkers that you always see in 193 00:09:17,240 --> 00:09:20,240 Speaker 1: the Hollywood movies. If anyone from the government is listening, 194 00:09:20,240 --> 00:09:22,960 Speaker 1: I'm a pretty fun guy. I could host a podcast 195 00:09:23,040 --> 00:09:26,439 Speaker 1: down there. Maybe could be called from the Bunker with Bucky, 196 00:09:27,200 --> 00:09:29,880 Speaker 1: you know, just have a think about it. Okay, thank you, 197 00:09:30,040 --> 00:09:32,000 Speaker 1: all right, thanks so much for listening to from the Newsroom. 198 00:09:32,040 --> 00:09:35,560 Speaker 1: Have a great weekend. Follow or subscribe to from the 199 00:09:35,600 --> 00:09:38,880 Speaker 1: Newsroom wherever you get your podcasts.