1 00:00:04,120 --> 00:00:07,160 Speaker 1: Get in touch with technology with tech Stuff from how 2 00:00:07,200 --> 00:00:14,280 Speaker 1: stuff Works dot com. Hey there, and welcome to text Stuff. 3 00:00:14,280 --> 00:00:17,119 Speaker 1: I'm your host, Jonathan Strickland. I'm an executive producer with 4 00:00:17,120 --> 00:00:19,919 Speaker 1: How Stuff Works in a love all things tech. And 5 00:00:20,040 --> 00:00:22,840 Speaker 1: it's a Friday. You know what that means. It's time 6 00:00:23,079 --> 00:00:27,760 Speaker 1: for another tech stuff classic. And what fun topic do 7 00:00:27,840 --> 00:00:33,480 Speaker 1: we have today? Kids, Well, it's can we stop an 8 00:00:33,520 --> 00:00:39,040 Speaker 1: asteroid from hitting Earth? Yikes? Yeah, when you talk about 9 00:00:39,080 --> 00:00:43,720 Speaker 1: existential threats and asteroid hitting Earth is way up there. 10 00:00:43,800 --> 00:00:47,080 Speaker 1: We know that it will happen. The question is just 11 00:00:47,479 --> 00:00:52,000 Speaker 1: when will it happen, not if when and what can 12 00:00:52,080 --> 00:00:55,400 Speaker 1: we do to avoid that? Well, this episode, which we 13 00:00:55,440 --> 00:00:59,400 Speaker 1: originally published on July eleven, two eleven, gets to the 14 00:00:59,440 --> 00:01:01,840 Speaker 1: bottom of that. Chris Pallette and I take a look 15 00:01:02,080 --> 00:01:08,280 Speaker 1: at some proposed solutions to this problem. Listen and enjoy. 16 00:01:08,400 --> 00:01:12,520 Speaker 1: We're gonna be talking about asteroids and preventing a collision 17 00:01:12,680 --> 00:01:15,000 Speaker 1: with Earth and what sort of tech would be involved 18 00:01:15,040 --> 00:01:19,000 Speaker 1: with that. And this comes courtesy of some Facebook requests 19 00:01:19,040 --> 00:01:21,160 Speaker 1: and email requests. I can't believe that we had people 20 00:01:21,319 --> 00:01:25,119 Speaker 1: send us Multiple people sent us this request which seems 21 00:01:25,200 --> 00:01:29,360 Speaker 1: really specific for more than one person. But hey, we're 22 00:01:29,360 --> 00:01:33,640 Speaker 1: gonna do it, okay, And um, you know, if you 23 00:01:33,720 --> 00:01:37,560 Speaker 1: have seen the documentary Armageddon, you remember that we shot 24 00:01:37,600 --> 00:01:40,959 Speaker 1: Bruce Willis up into space um with Ben Affleck and 25 00:01:41,040 --> 00:01:43,520 Speaker 1: some other folks like Steve bus Simmy to scare an 26 00:01:43,560 --> 00:01:46,240 Speaker 1: asteroid out of the way, because Steve Busummy is a 27 00:01:46,240 --> 00:01:49,240 Speaker 1: scary guy. Uh wait, I think I might be. I 28 00:01:49,240 --> 00:01:51,360 Speaker 1: think I might be a little off track. Oh well, anyway, 29 00:01:51,360 --> 00:01:53,000 Speaker 1: the premise of the movie was that there was this 30 00:01:53,200 --> 00:01:56,120 Speaker 1: enormous asteroid the size of Texas, which, by the way, 31 00:01:58,200 --> 00:02:03,080 Speaker 1: not that guy, you do. Yeah, that that's that's a 32 00:02:03,120 --> 00:02:07,080 Speaker 1: reference that goes over everyone's head because no one, none 33 00:02:07,120 --> 00:02:09,240 Speaker 1: of our listeners have ever played the game Asteroids. What 34 00:02:10,800 --> 00:02:14,840 Speaker 1: some of you have played Asteroids? And maybe so maybe 35 00:02:15,360 --> 00:02:18,359 Speaker 1: maybe our our buddy Floyd the truck driver, he might 36 00:02:18,440 --> 00:02:21,160 Speaker 1: have hopefully not while driving, well I hope not. Anyway, 37 00:02:21,240 --> 00:02:24,639 Speaker 1: we're getting off track already. So the whole, the whole 38 00:02:24,639 --> 00:02:26,880 Speaker 1: premise of the movie is that there's this giant asteroid 39 00:02:26,880 --> 00:02:29,120 Speaker 1: the size of Texas that's going to be flying at Earth, 40 00:02:29,520 --> 00:02:31,720 Speaker 1: and so they come up with this idea where they 41 00:02:31,760 --> 00:02:37,160 Speaker 1: scramble a bunch of uh minors essentially to shoot up 42 00:02:37,240 --> 00:02:41,160 Speaker 1: into space, land on the asteroid, and plant a nuclear 43 00:02:41,200 --> 00:02:43,560 Speaker 1: device on the asteroid that will blow it up to 44 00:02:43,760 --> 00:02:47,320 Speaker 1: tiny little bits and save the Earth. And so we 45 00:02:47,360 --> 00:02:50,880 Speaker 1: want to address this, um this first, So let's let's 46 00:02:50,880 --> 00:02:52,720 Speaker 1: get this all of the way. That would not work, 47 00:02:53,440 --> 00:02:55,600 Speaker 1: That would that would be a bad thing. First of all, 48 00:02:56,480 --> 00:03:01,200 Speaker 1: the power of such a device is hard to imagine. 49 00:03:01,240 --> 00:03:03,880 Speaker 1: How would you create a nuclear device powerful enough to 50 00:03:04,720 --> 00:03:09,480 Speaker 1: explode texas into tiny bits the equivalent of texas flying 51 00:03:09,560 --> 00:03:12,320 Speaker 1: at you. Also, by the way, an asteroid that size 52 00:03:12,600 --> 00:03:17,079 Speaker 1: would pretty much wipe out everybody. Um. You know, when 53 00:03:17,120 --> 00:03:20,080 Speaker 1: we talk about asteroids that are are dangerous enough to 54 00:03:20,160 --> 00:03:23,360 Speaker 1: wipe out a city fifty yards that's big enough. A 55 00:03:23,360 --> 00:03:26,760 Speaker 1: fifty yard asteroid, like an asteroid fifty yards across, we 56 00:03:27,520 --> 00:03:32,880 Speaker 1: have enough power, enough enough force to destroy a city 57 00:03:32,919 --> 00:03:38,760 Speaker 1: if it impacted the city. Um. Now, NASA classifies earth 58 00:03:38,960 --> 00:03:42,160 Speaker 1: threatening asteroids as being a hundred and forty meters or larger. 59 00:03:43,000 --> 00:03:45,240 Speaker 1: But then that conveniently is about the size that we 60 00:03:45,280 --> 00:03:50,520 Speaker 1: can detect them. Well, it's uh. It's important to note 61 00:03:50,560 --> 00:03:54,760 Speaker 1: too that it's happened before. We have been hit with 62 00:03:54,760 --> 00:03:59,320 Speaker 1: with many space objects in the past, and I assume 63 00:03:59,560 --> 00:04:03,600 Speaker 1: to some small degree continue to do. So, Ye's something 64 00:04:03,600 --> 00:04:05,280 Speaker 1: that we hear about in the news every day. But 65 00:04:05,400 --> 00:04:10,200 Speaker 1: every single day the Earth is hit by by tiny 66 00:04:10,320 --> 00:04:13,120 Speaker 1: little object. Granted we haven't been hit by a massive 67 00:04:13,120 --> 00:04:16,800 Speaker 1: asteroid in a really long time, but meteorites hit the 68 00:04:16,800 --> 00:04:19,240 Speaker 1: Earth every day. Sometimes they're so small that you know, 69 00:04:19,360 --> 00:04:24,400 Speaker 1: they're almost undetectable, but it does happen the But yeah, 70 00:04:24,520 --> 00:04:27,240 Speaker 1: they've happen in the past. I mean, that's what wiped 71 00:04:27,240 --> 00:04:31,719 Speaker 1: out the dinosaurs was an asteroid impact were possibly common impact, 72 00:04:31,800 --> 00:04:35,279 Speaker 1: but it was a massive impact that that altered the 73 00:04:35,320 --> 00:04:38,120 Speaker 1: Earth's climate, and dinosaurs did not have air conditioning, so 74 00:04:38,160 --> 00:04:43,279 Speaker 1: they were pretty much doomed. Doomed. I figured it was 75 00:04:43,320 --> 00:04:47,159 Speaker 1: their debaucherous lifestyle and it was unsustainable. Now you're thinking 76 00:04:47,160 --> 00:04:51,080 Speaker 1: of Rome, right, you know, I get this confused a lot. Yeah, well, 77 00:04:51,120 --> 00:04:52,680 Speaker 1: you know, if you've ever seen a t rex in 78 00:04:52,680 --> 00:04:58,359 Speaker 1: a toga never mind. So, so why would this plan 79 00:04:58,480 --> 00:05:02,400 Speaker 1: not work with destroying an asteroid with a nuclear device. 80 00:05:02,480 --> 00:05:06,640 Speaker 1: Let's assume that, for for argument's sake, that somehow you 81 00:05:06,720 --> 00:05:10,240 Speaker 1: managed to find a nuclear device capable of breaking up 82 00:05:10,440 --> 00:05:14,560 Speaker 1: a Texas size asteroid while it was hurtling towards Earth. 83 00:05:14,560 --> 00:05:17,599 Speaker 1: And keep in mind this was this this asteroid was 84 00:05:17,640 --> 00:05:19,840 Speaker 1: close to Earth by the time it blows up, Otherwise 85 00:05:20,040 --> 00:05:23,240 Speaker 1: it's not nearly as dramatic an ending. Right, of course, 86 00:05:23,240 --> 00:05:24,839 Speaker 1: you've gotta have it close enough to the Earth where 87 00:05:24,839 --> 00:05:27,120 Speaker 1: people are starting to really freak out. Oh and how 88 00:05:27,160 --> 00:05:29,760 Speaker 1: long exactly did they have to prepare for this? It 89 00:05:29,839 --> 00:05:31,760 Speaker 1: was like a couple of days or something like that. 90 00:05:31,800 --> 00:05:35,400 Speaker 1: It was crazy short time period. We would know, Yeah, 91 00:05:35,440 --> 00:05:38,320 Speaker 1: anything that's anything that that size, we would be able 92 00:05:38,360 --> 00:05:42,200 Speaker 1: to spot between Mars and Jupiter, giving us years, literally 93 00:05:42,520 --> 00:05:46,080 Speaker 1: years to prepare. It would not be a last minute thing. 94 00:05:46,080 --> 00:05:49,120 Speaker 1: And um, that's one of the myths that movies perpetuate 95 00:05:49,240 --> 00:05:51,880 Speaker 1: is that you know, you have some uh, some some 96 00:05:52,120 --> 00:05:55,320 Speaker 1: amateur astronomer out in the middle of nowhere just looking 97 00:05:55,400 --> 00:05:58,039 Speaker 1: up and saying, that's weird that star wasn't there yesterday. 98 00:05:58,440 --> 00:06:02,040 Speaker 1: And then and then that information slowly filters its way 99 00:06:02,080 --> 00:06:05,080 Speaker 1: to some official source which immediately clamps down and keeps 100 00:06:05,080 --> 00:06:08,560 Speaker 1: it all secret so that nobody knows that doom is 101 00:06:08,600 --> 00:06:10,599 Speaker 1: on the way until it leaks to the media causing 102 00:06:10,600 --> 00:06:12,920 Speaker 1: a panic. Yeah that we don't want to cause a panic. 103 00:06:13,279 --> 00:06:16,560 Speaker 1: It's definitely Hollywood related. So why would blowing up the 104 00:06:16,600 --> 00:06:19,960 Speaker 1: asteroid not be a good idea. Well, that asteroids moving 105 00:06:20,040 --> 00:06:22,719 Speaker 1: at a really fast speed and the nuclear warhead is 106 00:06:22,760 --> 00:06:24,920 Speaker 1: not going to slow it down. Okay, so you've still 107 00:06:24,920 --> 00:06:29,080 Speaker 1: got this this material moving at an incredible speed and 108 00:06:29,720 --> 00:06:32,520 Speaker 1: the mass isn't gone. You haven't destroyed the mass. You've 109 00:06:32,560 --> 00:06:35,279 Speaker 1: just spread it out some So instead of it being 110 00:06:35,720 --> 00:06:38,479 Speaker 1: a one massive asteroid hitting the Earth, it's a whole 111 00:06:39,160 --> 00:06:41,440 Speaker 1: bunch of them hitting the Earth. And it's like the 112 00:06:41,440 --> 00:06:44,960 Speaker 1: difference between getting hit by a slug and getting hit 113 00:06:45,000 --> 00:06:49,600 Speaker 1: by um shotgun shot. You know, we just spread out 114 00:06:49,720 --> 00:06:52,680 Speaker 1: the area of impact, is what you've done. This is 115 00:06:52,720 --> 00:06:56,680 Speaker 1: mission control. We just wanted to say, oops, yeah, are 116 00:06:56,760 --> 00:07:00,520 Speaker 1: bad so um so yeah, here's here's why this stuff 117 00:07:00,560 --> 00:07:03,440 Speaker 1: would really work in the real world. All Right, We've 118 00:07:03,480 --> 00:07:08,080 Speaker 1: got lots of powerful telescopes pointing in all sorts of directions. Now, 119 00:07:08,160 --> 00:07:11,400 Speaker 1: so the the the myths of the amateur astronomer who 120 00:07:11,440 --> 00:07:15,400 Speaker 1: detects uh something the size the size that's in depicted 121 00:07:15,440 --> 00:07:19,160 Speaker 1: an armageddon is really that's that's busted because it would 122 00:07:19,200 --> 00:07:22,600 Speaker 1: be detected by much more powerful telescopes much earlier, and 123 00:07:22,800 --> 00:07:27,120 Speaker 1: um that information would go to uh, it's kind of 124 00:07:27,120 --> 00:07:32,040 Speaker 1: a clearing house for near Earth objects that could potentially 125 00:07:32,040 --> 00:07:39,080 Speaker 1: cause harm. It's called the Minor Planet Center. It's in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Now, 126 00:07:39,120 --> 00:07:42,360 Speaker 1: the Minor Planet Center would then take the information that 127 00:07:42,520 --> 00:07:45,720 Speaker 1: was sent to it, which usually would involve the size 128 00:07:45,720 --> 00:07:48,560 Speaker 1: of the asteroid and it's it's shape of orbit around 129 00:07:48,640 --> 00:07:52,320 Speaker 1: the Sun and whether that orbit could potentially uh collide 130 00:07:52,320 --> 00:07:55,480 Speaker 1: with the Earth, send that information out to observatories all 131 00:07:55,480 --> 00:07:58,800 Speaker 1: across the planet. Now, these observatories would then train their 132 00:07:58,800 --> 00:08:02,000 Speaker 1: telescopes onto the object to try and make their own 133 00:08:02,000 --> 00:08:06,000 Speaker 1: calculations based upon their own their own perspective, to see 134 00:08:06,080 --> 00:08:11,040 Speaker 1: if perhaps this would be a quote unquote interesting object. Now, 135 00:08:11,400 --> 00:08:16,000 Speaker 1: in astronomical terms, interesting means holy crap, we're all going 136 00:08:16,040 --> 00:08:19,640 Speaker 1: to die. That's the That's what they mean by interesting 137 00:08:19,720 --> 00:08:24,800 Speaker 1: as in potentially impact the Earth. Interesting. And that information 138 00:08:24,840 --> 00:08:29,520 Speaker 1: would then be shared amongst those observatories, and the likelihood 139 00:08:29,680 --> 00:08:31,960 Speaker 1: of a clamp down is really low, just because you 140 00:08:32,000 --> 00:08:33,960 Speaker 1: have so many people who would be involved in this 141 00:08:34,080 --> 00:08:37,240 Speaker 1: and have the information, and lots of them were gonna talk. 142 00:08:38,200 --> 00:08:39,480 Speaker 1: A lot of them we're gonna talk and say we 143 00:08:39,559 --> 00:08:41,360 Speaker 1: got to prepare now, because if we don't, we're all 144 00:08:41,400 --> 00:08:44,679 Speaker 1: going to die or a significant number of people are 145 00:08:44,679 --> 00:08:48,520 Speaker 1: going to die, because if this asteroid hits a land mass, 146 00:08:48,559 --> 00:08:52,280 Speaker 1: then it's gonna be like, depending on the size of 147 00:08:52,320 --> 00:08:55,240 Speaker 1: the asteroid, it could be like the entire world's nuclear 148 00:08:55,360 --> 00:09:00,120 Speaker 1: arsenal exploding in a single point. Um. If it hits 149 00:09:00,160 --> 00:09:05,000 Speaker 1: the ocean, then it could generate a tsunami of unprecedented 150 00:09:05,640 --> 00:09:08,720 Speaker 1: uh force that could wipe out an entire coast of 151 00:09:08,760 --> 00:09:12,960 Speaker 1: a of a continent. Um. So I mean this is 152 00:09:13,120 --> 00:09:18,360 Speaker 1: serious business. Uh. Fortunately, we haven't discovered anything so far 153 00:09:18,640 --> 00:09:21,200 Speaker 1: that would cause that much of a problem. But again, 154 00:09:21,480 --> 00:09:25,560 Speaker 1: our ability to detect these objects is limited. Most of 155 00:09:25,720 --> 00:09:28,199 Speaker 1: the objects that NASA concentrates on is anything that's the 156 00:09:28,240 --> 00:09:32,040 Speaker 1: higher and forty meters or across or larger. And uh. 157 00:09:32,080 --> 00:09:34,920 Speaker 1: The problem is that smaller objects could cause significant harm. 158 00:09:34,960 --> 00:09:37,680 Speaker 1: But finding those objects there is a lot trickier because 159 00:09:37,960 --> 00:09:42,319 Speaker 1: space is big, really Yeah, and in relation to space, 160 00:09:42,760 --> 00:09:47,200 Speaker 1: fifty yard across asteroid or is nothing. It's it's you know, 161 00:09:47,280 --> 00:09:53,720 Speaker 1: you you it's it's impossible to exaggerate how tiny that is. Yeah, 162 00:09:54,720 --> 00:09:58,000 Speaker 1: it's like a it's like a germ on a bug. 163 00:09:58,920 --> 00:10:01,959 Speaker 1: And and and you happened to be like a blue 164 00:10:01,960 --> 00:10:07,680 Speaker 1: whale that's kind of and even then that's not even close. Yeah, 165 00:10:08,200 --> 00:10:10,160 Speaker 1: I can't get my mind around it. That's that's how 166 00:10:10,200 --> 00:10:12,920 Speaker 1: it is. We'd like to take a quick break from 167 00:10:12,960 --> 00:10:18,160 Speaker 1: this existential crisis filled with anxiety and fear, to reflect 168 00:10:18,240 --> 00:10:20,560 Speaker 1: for a moment on how lucky we are to have 169 00:10:20,679 --> 00:10:32,359 Speaker 1: this sponsor. So all right, So nuking a an asteroid directly, 170 00:10:32,559 --> 00:10:35,200 Speaker 1: as in trying to blow it up, is not a 171 00:10:35,240 --> 00:10:39,360 Speaker 1: feasible option. So let's let's assume for the moment that 172 00:10:39,400 --> 00:10:42,280 Speaker 1: we have developed technology that helps us, that's improved our 173 00:10:42,280 --> 00:10:46,040 Speaker 1: ability to detect asteroids to the point where any asteroid 174 00:10:46,040 --> 00:10:49,920 Speaker 1: that could potentially cause significant harm to people on Earth, 175 00:10:49,960 --> 00:10:52,720 Speaker 1: to life on Earth, that we have somehow managed to 176 00:10:52,720 --> 00:10:56,360 Speaker 1: to create the technology to detect it. Yeah, all right, 177 00:10:56,520 --> 00:10:58,400 Speaker 1: and it's and it's important to do so because it 178 00:10:58,520 --> 00:11:01,960 Speaker 1: is probable that we will be hit by something largish 179 00:11:02,160 --> 00:11:07,319 Speaker 1: again at some point, Essentially, like it's worthwhile to develop 180 00:11:07,360 --> 00:11:11,040 Speaker 1: this technology exactly. So, yeah, the the risk might be low, 181 00:11:11,200 --> 00:11:14,560 Speaker 1: but the impact would be huge. So you know, even 182 00:11:14,640 --> 00:11:18,520 Speaker 1: taking a low risk perspective of it, the actual impact 183 00:11:18,559 --> 00:11:22,160 Speaker 1: would be so enormous that it is a good argument, 184 00:11:22,280 --> 00:11:24,000 Speaker 1: and a lot of people have made this argument to 185 00:11:24,760 --> 00:11:28,320 Speaker 1: um to invest in technology to help prevent it from happening. 186 00:11:28,679 --> 00:11:31,280 Speaker 1: So let's assume that we have improved technology so we 187 00:11:31,320 --> 00:11:34,280 Speaker 1: can actually detect these asteroids from a pretty good distance. 188 00:11:34,320 --> 00:11:36,439 Speaker 1: Like I said, it might be years before they get here, 189 00:11:36,679 --> 00:11:38,480 Speaker 1: or we're gonna need that time because we're gonna need 190 00:11:38,520 --> 00:11:43,720 Speaker 1: that time to develop the actual vehicles that the tools 191 00:11:43,760 --> 00:11:46,680 Speaker 1: that we're going to use in order to intercept that asteroid. 192 00:11:46,760 --> 00:11:50,920 Speaker 1: So by intercepting it, what could we do to to 193 00:11:51,760 --> 00:11:56,079 Speaker 1: avoid a collision. Well, the real key is deflecting the asteroid. 194 00:11:57,120 --> 00:11:59,640 Speaker 1: You just have to move it a tiny bit, especially 195 00:11:59,720 --> 00:12:01,440 Speaker 1: the for there out you go. The further out you go, 196 00:12:01,520 --> 00:12:05,440 Speaker 1: the tinier that that adjustment needs to be, because by 197 00:12:05,440 --> 00:12:07,800 Speaker 1: the time it gets to the Earth it's going to 198 00:12:07,840 --> 00:12:10,679 Speaker 1: be the distance is going to be much more enormous. 199 00:12:11,080 --> 00:12:14,880 Speaker 1: You know. Just think about like you're walking to have 200 00:12:15,000 --> 00:12:18,079 Speaker 1: a friend standing across from you across the football field, 201 00:12:18,320 --> 00:12:21,760 Speaker 1: and you're both facing each other exactly. Now imagine that 202 00:12:21,800 --> 00:12:24,280 Speaker 1: your friend just turns slightly a little bit to the 203 00:12:24,360 --> 00:12:27,960 Speaker 1: left and starts walking forward. Well, from a distance, it 204 00:12:27,960 --> 00:12:31,600 Speaker 1: looks like there that your friend may actually meet up 205 00:12:31,640 --> 00:12:33,559 Speaker 1: with you once they get all the way across the 206 00:12:33,600 --> 00:12:36,040 Speaker 1: football field. But as they continue, you see that they're 207 00:12:36,040 --> 00:12:39,560 Speaker 1: getting further and further away until they reach essentially a 208 00:12:39,559 --> 00:12:43,080 Speaker 1: point parallel to you, and they are a good distance 209 00:12:43,200 --> 00:12:45,880 Speaker 1: from you right there, further down the field, like further 210 00:12:45,960 --> 00:12:47,520 Speaker 1: to the right or to the left, whichever way the 211 00:12:47,800 --> 00:12:51,280 Speaker 1: person turned. Um. That's kind of the idea here is 212 00:12:51,320 --> 00:12:53,560 Speaker 1: that if you can catch an asteroid early enough and 213 00:12:53,640 --> 00:12:57,439 Speaker 1: deflected just a couple of degrees, then you've solved the 214 00:12:57,440 --> 00:12:59,480 Speaker 1: problem because it's going to miss the Earth by millions 215 00:12:59,520 --> 00:13:03,160 Speaker 1: of miles. Else But how do you deflect it? Well, 216 00:13:03,200 --> 00:13:06,800 Speaker 1: there's a lot of different options. Yeah, I read uh 217 00:13:07,120 --> 00:13:11,120 Speaker 1: too specifically that seemed to be the options people are 218 00:13:11,160 --> 00:13:15,320 Speaker 1: thinking of most like what's that? Um. One of them, 219 00:13:15,320 --> 00:13:19,400 Speaker 1: ironically enough, was to use nuclear devices, Yes, but not 220 00:13:19,480 --> 00:13:22,240 Speaker 1: to destroy, but to nudge. Right. Yeah, The idea is 221 00:13:22,280 --> 00:13:25,160 Speaker 1: being that you would you would detonate the device over 222 00:13:25,240 --> 00:13:29,600 Speaker 1: the asteroid. This would actually, um cause a couple of 223 00:13:29,600 --> 00:13:33,079 Speaker 1: things to happen, And it's you know, it's interesting that 224 00:13:33,360 --> 00:13:35,719 Speaker 1: again that we're talking about something. You know, you might say, hey, 225 00:13:35,760 --> 00:13:37,960 Speaker 1: you just said nuking is bad. Well, in this case, 226 00:13:38,000 --> 00:13:40,920 Speaker 1: what would happen is that you would uh create an 227 00:13:41,080 --> 00:13:44,559 Speaker 1: uh A nuclear radiation would create this uh, this vaporizing 228 00:13:44,640 --> 00:13:47,400 Speaker 1: energy and vaporize the surface or a section of the 229 00:13:47,440 --> 00:13:50,920 Speaker 1: surface of the asteroid. Now that's going to cause that 230 00:13:51,400 --> 00:13:54,840 Speaker 1: part of the surface to eject material into space. And 231 00:13:54,960 --> 00:13:56,920 Speaker 1: you know, for a reaction action, there's an equal and 232 00:13:56,920 --> 00:13:59,840 Speaker 1: opposite reaction, So that ejection from space is actually gonna 233 00:14:00,200 --> 00:14:05,040 Speaker 1: as a pushing force on the asteroid. And it's tiny, 234 00:14:05,080 --> 00:14:07,199 Speaker 1: but that's all you need necessary. You know, that might 235 00:14:07,280 --> 00:14:09,400 Speaker 1: be all you need to move that asteroid out of 236 00:14:09,440 --> 00:14:13,120 Speaker 1: the pathway of the Earth. So yeah, um, you're just 237 00:14:13,200 --> 00:14:17,920 Speaker 1: using it again to to give the asteroid a little push. Um. Actually, 238 00:14:17,960 --> 00:14:21,720 Speaker 1: most of the the options I've seen are some variation 239 00:14:21,800 --> 00:14:25,200 Speaker 1: on pushing the asteroid. It's just lots of different potential 240 00:14:25,200 --> 00:14:27,480 Speaker 1: ways we could do that. Well, that's true. I did 241 00:14:27,520 --> 00:14:29,920 Speaker 1: read uh Yeah, to be fair, I did read of 242 00:14:30,000 --> 00:14:34,560 Speaker 1: the possibility of using an inert uh device, nothing that explodes, 243 00:14:34,600 --> 00:14:39,000 Speaker 1: but basically a bullet if you will, to shove. Yeah, 244 00:14:39,160 --> 00:14:42,720 Speaker 1: using using kinetic force to push the asteroid out of 245 00:14:42,800 --> 00:14:49,560 Speaker 1: the way. Yeah, that is another potential um solution, although 246 00:14:50,000 --> 00:14:53,400 Speaker 1: it's it's again one of those that that has its 247 00:14:53,400 --> 00:14:56,920 Speaker 1: own set of difficulties. But Yeah, that's that is what 248 00:14:57,040 --> 00:14:59,400 Speaker 1: I've also heard where you're just using a kinetic force 249 00:14:59,440 --> 00:15:02,800 Speaker 1: to to hap the asteroid out of the way. And 250 00:15:02,880 --> 00:15:07,560 Speaker 1: it's it's important to note that, UM. What we really 251 00:15:07,600 --> 00:15:12,280 Speaker 1: can't stress how much detection and identifying the the object 252 00:15:12,400 --> 00:15:16,480 Speaker 1: path how important that is because UM, there there's an 253 00:15:16,480 --> 00:15:21,000 Speaker 1: effect called the Yarkowsky effect. Did you read about this, um, 254 00:15:21,440 --> 00:15:23,960 Speaker 1: As the object gets close to the sun, closer to 255 00:15:24,000 --> 00:15:26,520 Speaker 1: the Sun, UM. And I'm not talking about directly on 256 00:15:26,560 --> 00:15:28,360 Speaker 1: a path too, but you know, as it gets closer 257 00:15:28,360 --> 00:15:30,600 Speaker 1: and closer to the Sun in the center of our 258 00:15:30,640 --> 00:15:35,040 Speaker 1: solar system, it's going to heat up. UM. And for 259 00:15:35,320 --> 00:15:39,120 Speaker 1: a larger object it doesn't matter so much. UM. But 260 00:15:39,600 --> 00:15:44,280 Speaker 1: according uh to an article that I um than an 261 00:15:44,320 --> 00:15:47,120 Speaker 1: article I read, the the Yarkovsky effect basically means that 262 00:15:47,480 --> 00:15:51,120 Speaker 1: once the the object starts to heat up, the heat 263 00:15:51,320 --> 00:15:56,040 Speaker 1: can affect its path. It can basically started to move 264 00:15:56,240 --> 00:15:58,880 Speaker 1: in a slightly different direction. So you need to be 265 00:15:58,920 --> 00:16:00,800 Speaker 1: able to we would need to be able to know 266 00:16:00,880 --> 00:16:05,400 Speaker 1: exactly where the or as least as close enough to 267 00:16:06,160 --> 00:16:09,000 Speaker 1: uh where the object is going to be, so that 268 00:16:09,040 --> 00:16:11,840 Speaker 1: we can accurately hit it with something. If we're going 269 00:16:11,920 --> 00:16:14,800 Speaker 1: to try to use a brute force method of moving 270 00:16:14,920 --> 00:16:16,960 Speaker 1: the the asteroid out of the way, and a lot 271 00:16:17,000 --> 00:16:20,720 Speaker 1: of the attempts to move asteroids may depend upon sun, 272 00:16:21,000 --> 00:16:24,880 Speaker 1: the sunlight and the Sun's power. Because um there are 273 00:16:24,880 --> 00:16:27,600 Speaker 1: a lot of different options that would harness the power 274 00:16:27,600 --> 00:16:31,240 Speaker 1: of the Sun in order to create a pulling effect 275 00:16:31,320 --> 00:16:35,200 Speaker 1: or pushing effect on the the asteroid. For example, there's 276 00:16:35,240 --> 00:16:40,840 Speaker 1: one UM one possible technique where we would coat the 277 00:16:40,880 --> 00:16:47,240 Speaker 1: asteroid with white and dark coating like paint or dust 278 00:16:47,360 --> 00:16:52,360 Speaker 1: or whatever, and that would uh cause it to move 279 00:16:52,440 --> 00:16:55,880 Speaker 1: because the Sun's energy would actually push against the asteroid. 280 00:16:56,120 --> 00:16:58,680 Speaker 1: And if we coded the rights the correct side, not 281 00:16:58,800 --> 00:17:00,880 Speaker 1: the right side, I mean there's no real right or left, 282 00:17:01,480 --> 00:17:04,680 Speaker 1: but the correct side of the asteroid, it could push 283 00:17:04,760 --> 00:17:07,560 Speaker 1: the asteroid those couple of degrees. By the time it 284 00:17:07,560 --> 00:17:09,800 Speaker 1: gets to where the Earth is, it's millions of miles away, 285 00:17:09,800 --> 00:17:12,160 Speaker 1: and it's it's millions of miles off course from hitting 286 00:17:12,160 --> 00:17:16,919 Speaker 1: the Earth. UM Similarly, there were suggestions that maybe we 287 00:17:16,960 --> 00:17:20,720 Speaker 1: could create a solar sale that would attach we we 288 00:17:20,760 --> 00:17:23,760 Speaker 1: would use a like a probe to attach a solar 289 00:17:23,800 --> 00:17:27,280 Speaker 1: sale to an asteroid, and the solar sale would catch 290 00:17:27,359 --> 00:17:31,200 Speaker 1: the Sun's energy and be propelled by the solar wind, 291 00:17:31,320 --> 00:17:37,159 Speaker 1: essentially to pull the asteroid again outside of its pathway. Um. 292 00:17:37,240 --> 00:17:40,679 Speaker 1: That that's kind of a far fetched one, really. I mean, 293 00:17:40,680 --> 00:17:43,639 Speaker 1: it's definitely a lot more challenging than say, coading an 294 00:17:43,640 --> 00:17:48,240 Speaker 1: asteroid with a light colored material. Um. But then there's 295 00:17:48,280 --> 00:17:51,400 Speaker 1: also the idea of using a net, an enormous net 296 00:17:51,440 --> 00:17:54,960 Speaker 1: to encapsulate the the the asteroid, and the net would 297 00:17:54,960 --> 00:17:58,080 Speaker 1: again act as almost like a solar sale. It would 298 00:17:59,040 --> 00:18:01,560 Speaker 1: it would react again, you know, the sun. The Sun's 299 00:18:01,640 --> 00:18:04,560 Speaker 1: energy would push against the net, which again would alter 300 00:18:04,760 --> 00:18:09,840 Speaker 1: the course of the asteroid. Um. Mirrors are another potential 301 00:18:10,320 --> 00:18:14,639 Speaker 1: UH solution, where you you launch a device that is 302 00:18:14,680 --> 00:18:18,400 Speaker 1: going to deploy mirrors around the asteroid to direct sunlight 303 00:18:18,720 --> 00:18:21,439 Speaker 1: to specific points on the asteroid to again push it 304 00:18:21,520 --> 00:18:24,879 Speaker 1: out of the way. Um. Well, everyone knows that asteroids 305 00:18:24,880 --> 00:18:27,080 Speaker 1: are vain, so if you, you know, put the mirrors 306 00:18:27,119 --> 00:18:28,840 Speaker 1: on the far side of the Earth, they'll go toward 307 00:18:28,880 --> 00:18:34,720 Speaker 1: the mirrors and go, oh, my best side, I look good. Um. 308 00:18:34,720 --> 00:18:36,600 Speaker 1: But then there are a couple of other elements. There 309 00:18:36,600 --> 00:18:38,560 Speaker 1: are a couple other ways of nudging an asteroid all 310 00:18:38,560 --> 00:18:42,119 Speaker 1: the way that don't involve sunlight at all. UH. And 311 00:18:42,280 --> 00:18:44,639 Speaker 1: one of them, and one of them's strapping a rocket 312 00:18:44,680 --> 00:18:48,800 Speaker 1: to it. So essentially you have a UM, do we 313 00:18:48,840 --> 00:18:52,120 Speaker 1: have to land somebody on the asteroid. No, not necessarily, 314 00:18:52,160 --> 00:18:56,560 Speaker 1: you'd have to have some sort of of remotely operated 315 00:18:57,720 --> 00:19:02,320 Speaker 1: probe that could embed into the asteroid itself and then 316 00:19:02,720 --> 00:19:05,440 Speaker 1: use um have enough fuel in it to be able 317 00:19:05,480 --> 00:19:09,320 Speaker 1: to push as a rocket to push the asteroid out 318 00:19:09,320 --> 00:19:13,639 Speaker 1: of the way of the pathway of collision. Now it 319 00:19:13,640 --> 00:19:15,280 Speaker 1: doesn't have to push very hard, it doesn't have to 320 00:19:15,320 --> 00:19:17,359 Speaker 1: push for very long. Again, as long as you catch 321 00:19:17,440 --> 00:19:19,880 Speaker 1: the asteroid early enough that we have to keep stressing 322 00:19:19,880 --> 00:19:22,320 Speaker 1: that this is This is assuming that we capture, that 323 00:19:22,400 --> 00:19:24,800 Speaker 1: we detect the asteroid and years and years and years 324 00:19:24,840 --> 00:19:27,080 Speaker 1: in advance, and that we're able to react quickly enough 325 00:19:27,119 --> 00:19:29,280 Speaker 1: so that by the time the probe reaches the asteroid, 326 00:19:29,320 --> 00:19:31,359 Speaker 1: because you remember, this isn't gonna be overnight. It's gonna 327 00:19:31,359 --> 00:19:34,560 Speaker 1: take time for the for whatever solution we deploy to 328 00:19:34,720 --> 00:19:37,359 Speaker 1: get to the asteroid. Like it maybe you know, we 329 00:19:37,440 --> 00:19:39,240 Speaker 1: launched something and we don't know if it's gonna work 330 00:19:39,280 --> 00:19:41,959 Speaker 1: for another two years or three years. I mean, it's 331 00:19:42,000 --> 00:19:44,480 Speaker 1: kind of scary to think about, but that's true. So 332 00:19:46,080 --> 00:19:48,520 Speaker 1: UM Yeah, you have to figure out a way where 333 00:19:48,560 --> 00:19:51,280 Speaker 1: you have this this device, and it has to be 334 00:19:51,320 --> 00:19:53,159 Speaker 1: able to carry enough fuel so that it can actually 335 00:19:53,160 --> 00:19:56,760 Speaker 1: deploy properly. A lot of people suggest that this kind 336 00:19:56,800 --> 00:19:59,600 Speaker 1: of approach would be best if it were already space born. 337 00:20:00,040 --> 00:20:02,680 Speaker 1: So in other words, we already had some sort of 338 00:20:02,840 --> 00:20:07,639 Speaker 1: launching platform in space so that the uh, the individual 339 00:20:08,119 --> 00:20:11,320 Speaker 1: probes would not need so much fuel to both escape 340 00:20:11,359 --> 00:20:13,920 Speaker 1: the arts gravity and land on an asteroid and then 341 00:20:13,920 --> 00:20:18,240 Speaker 1: propel it away. Um. That that does prose a problem. 342 00:20:18,760 --> 00:20:22,760 Speaker 1: But then another one is the gravity tractor. Ah. Yes, 343 00:20:22,840 --> 00:20:25,439 Speaker 1: and I when I looked up the gravity tractor, I 344 00:20:25,440 --> 00:20:28,879 Speaker 1: had to check just a moment ago, and yes, someone 345 00:20:28,960 --> 00:20:32,320 Speaker 1: has named their band gravity Tractor. Good for them, Yeah, 346 00:20:32,520 --> 00:20:38,400 Speaker 1: lead singer John Dear, nice, thank you. Um, but yeah, 347 00:20:38,480 --> 00:20:44,520 Speaker 1: the gravity tractor is fascinating, um, because this is essentially 348 00:20:44,680 --> 00:20:49,040 Speaker 1: using a different body and the gravity of another body 349 00:20:49,119 --> 00:20:53,080 Speaker 1: and body that we would launch into space to pull 350 00:20:53,640 --> 00:20:56,399 Speaker 1: the asteroid away without even I mean there's not the 351 00:20:56,480 --> 00:20:58,840 Speaker 1: point here is not even a touch the asteroid. It's 352 00:20:58,880 --> 00:21:03,080 Speaker 1: to get something near enough to it to affect um 353 00:21:03,160 --> 00:21:06,439 Speaker 1: the asteroids path with another gravitational field. Right, Because you 354 00:21:06,440 --> 00:21:10,760 Speaker 1: gotta remember everything in the universe exerts a gravitational pull 355 00:21:10,800 --> 00:21:14,000 Speaker 1: on everything else. It's just that that poll is dependent 356 00:21:14,080 --> 00:21:17,480 Speaker 1: upon distance and mass and lots of other stuff. But 357 00:21:17,600 --> 00:21:19,720 Speaker 1: they you know, so if you are able to put 358 00:21:19,720 --> 00:21:23,240 Speaker 1: a massive enough object close enough to the asteroid, you 359 00:21:23,240 --> 00:21:25,879 Speaker 1: could alter its pathway. There is there are some problems 360 00:21:26,200 --> 00:21:29,919 Speaker 1: with the gravity tractor, really yeah. One of them is 361 00:21:29,960 --> 00:21:32,320 Speaker 1: that you have to figure out are a Well, you 362 00:21:32,359 --> 00:21:35,320 Speaker 1: want the gravity tractor to pull the asteroid away from 363 00:21:35,359 --> 00:21:37,000 Speaker 1: the path of collision. You don't want the asteroid to 364 00:21:37,000 --> 00:21:40,480 Speaker 1: pull the gravity tractor into the path of collision. So 365 00:21:41,119 --> 00:21:42,760 Speaker 1: so that means that you would have to have some 366 00:21:42,800 --> 00:21:46,760 Speaker 1: sort of propulsion system aboard the gravity tractor to make 367 00:21:46,920 --> 00:21:50,960 Speaker 1: little course corrections and continue to gently pull the asteroid 368 00:21:51,000 --> 00:21:53,680 Speaker 1: out of its pathway. Well, if you have propulsion, then 369 00:21:53,800 --> 00:21:57,400 Speaker 1: there's the possibility that propulsion that you're going to when 370 00:21:57,400 --> 00:22:00,439 Speaker 1: you fire your rockets to to give it a boost, 371 00:22:00,800 --> 00:22:04,320 Speaker 1: that force may push against the asteroid, thus negating the 372 00:22:04,320 --> 00:22:07,399 Speaker 1: gravity pull that you are exerting upon it. So essentially 373 00:22:07,440 --> 00:22:12,480 Speaker 1: you're getting a net zero result because that you're you're 374 00:22:12,480 --> 00:22:14,399 Speaker 1: pulling it out with gravity, but you're pushing on it 375 00:22:14,400 --> 00:22:17,119 Speaker 1: with your propulsion. System. So finding a way where you 376 00:22:17,160 --> 00:22:21,840 Speaker 1: could create some sort of gravity tractor where the propulsion 377 00:22:21,840 --> 00:22:26,480 Speaker 1: system would not actually push against the asteroid itself is 378 00:22:26,640 --> 00:22:28,800 Speaker 1: would be part of the solution. Plus this would be 379 00:22:28,840 --> 00:22:32,920 Speaker 1: really really expensive. It's a much more costly approach and 380 00:22:33,040 --> 00:22:37,560 Speaker 1: not necessarily uh the most easy to implement compared to 381 00:22:37,640 --> 00:22:41,199 Speaker 1: other approaches. So I don't know that this is necessarily 382 00:22:41,240 --> 00:22:44,720 Speaker 1: likely to happen. I mean, if if enough research goes 383 00:22:44,720 --> 00:22:46,679 Speaker 1: into it where it proves that this is the most 384 00:22:47,160 --> 00:22:51,199 Speaker 1: effective way, then sure I can see it happening, just 385 00:22:51,240 --> 00:22:53,199 Speaker 1: because people would finally say, all right, well, you know, 386 00:22:53,240 --> 00:22:56,479 Speaker 1: we have to invest in it, because we can't. We 387 00:22:56,520 --> 00:23:01,440 Speaker 1: can't just play roulette all our existence. We have to 388 00:23:01,480 --> 00:23:04,320 Speaker 1: prepare for this. UM. But I would imagine that we'd 389 00:23:04,320 --> 00:23:09,600 Speaker 1: probably go with some other route before we tried this one. Yeah. 390 00:23:10,160 --> 00:23:13,399 Speaker 1: An article I read suggested that the the gravity tractor 391 00:23:13,440 --> 00:23:17,840 Speaker 1: would have to be at least uh twenty tons in 392 00:23:17,960 --> 00:23:22,120 Speaker 1: order to safely toe you know, effectively to I should say, 393 00:23:22,160 --> 00:23:27,080 Speaker 1: not safely effectively to and an asteroid away from the Earth. UM. 394 00:23:27,119 --> 00:23:31,119 Speaker 1: And I can't you know, I just imagine that's going 395 00:23:31,160 --> 00:23:34,200 Speaker 1: to be very hard to get out of the Earth's orbit. 396 00:23:34,760 --> 00:23:36,479 Speaker 1: I mean, you know, our gravity. I'm sorry to leave 397 00:23:36,480 --> 00:23:38,639 Speaker 1: the gravitational field of the Earth to launch something that 398 00:23:38,680 --> 00:23:43,200 Speaker 1: big into space. But you know, I'm not a rocket scientist, 399 00:23:43,320 --> 00:23:47,560 Speaker 1: so nor are you a brain surgeon. Now I'm not 400 00:23:47,600 --> 00:23:51,600 Speaker 1: a rocket surgeon either, so um, well that's good. I 401 00:23:51,600 --> 00:23:54,160 Speaker 1: can just imagine that going wrong. I hope you guys 402 00:23:54,200 --> 00:23:58,000 Speaker 1: are enjoying this classic episode of tech stuff. I personally 403 00:23:58,280 --> 00:24:02,200 Speaker 1: find it really inspirational to think about solutions to big problems, 404 00:24:02,800 --> 00:24:07,040 Speaker 1: almost as inspiring as I find this next sponsor to be. 405 00:24:14,680 --> 00:24:19,679 Speaker 1: Another potential, although it's far fetched, possibility of getting rid 406 00:24:19,680 --> 00:24:23,280 Speaker 1: of an asteroid that um that's coming at you you 407 00:24:23,480 --> 00:24:27,680 Speaker 1: let robots eat it. Really Yeah, that's Robert Lamb actually 408 00:24:27,680 --> 00:24:30,760 Speaker 1: wrote about this. He has a great article on the 409 00:24:31,080 --> 00:24:34,840 Speaker 1: Our Our Discovery news site called top ten ways to 410 00:24:34,880 --> 00:24:38,040 Speaker 1: stop an asteroid, and one of them is talking about 411 00:24:38,320 --> 00:24:43,080 Speaker 1: using them robots that would actually essentially kind of chew 412 00:24:43,320 --> 00:24:47,639 Speaker 1: up the asteroid and then shoot out the tiny bits 413 00:24:47,640 --> 00:24:54,160 Speaker 1: of asteroid uh into space electromagnetically um and essentially disperse 414 00:24:54,240 --> 00:24:57,600 Speaker 1: the asteroid while it's still really really really far away 415 00:24:57,640 --> 00:24:59,480 Speaker 1: from the Earth. Because keep in mind, if it's really 416 00:24:59,480 --> 00:25:01,760 Speaker 1: far away on the Earth, then not all of that 417 00:25:01,800 --> 00:25:03,840 Speaker 1: mass is going to hit the Earth the way it 418 00:25:03,880 --> 00:25:08,120 Speaker 1: would in the beginning of UM the or or at 419 00:25:08,119 --> 00:25:13,240 Speaker 1: the end of ARM again rather so, Yeah, these these robots, 420 00:25:13,320 --> 00:25:17,560 Speaker 1: uh eating poop. They eat asteroids and they poop asteroid dust. 421 00:25:18,200 --> 00:25:21,040 Speaker 1: I am. I wanted to go there, and I said, no, 422 00:25:21,119 --> 00:25:22,639 Speaker 1: I'm not gonna say it. You're not gonna say they 423 00:25:22,640 --> 00:25:24,840 Speaker 1: eating poop. Nope, But you did it for me. So 424 00:25:25,160 --> 00:25:26,639 Speaker 1: I could see the look on your face and I 425 00:25:26,720 --> 00:25:28,359 Speaker 1: knew that you were thinking that. So I was like, 426 00:25:28,440 --> 00:25:33,399 Speaker 1: I'm going to do it. UM, well, I wanted to recommend. Yeah, 427 00:25:33,600 --> 00:25:35,320 Speaker 1: so this is this is definitely something that we need 428 00:25:35,359 --> 00:25:37,800 Speaker 1: to think about. I mean, it's it's true that we 429 00:25:37,840 --> 00:25:39,640 Speaker 1: need to think about invest in it. There are some 430 00:25:40,200 --> 00:25:44,840 Speaker 1: talks about private companies actually investing in this UM sort 431 00:25:44,880 --> 00:25:47,719 Speaker 1: of technology, this sort of approach UM, which is kind 432 00:25:47,720 --> 00:25:49,760 Speaker 1: of cool that you know, it's not just not just 433 00:25:49,800 --> 00:25:54,040 Speaker 1: depending upon governmental agencies that have lots of different you know, 434 00:25:54,240 --> 00:25:57,280 Speaker 1: things pulling on them. UM. I did read that UM 435 00:25:58,080 --> 00:26:00,520 Speaker 1: scientists don't seem to believe that there's any thing likely 436 00:26:00,560 --> 00:26:03,400 Speaker 1: to hit us in the next hundred years or so 437 00:26:03,720 --> 00:26:05,600 Speaker 1: right at the earliest, well at least nothing that we 438 00:26:05,640 --> 00:26:08,920 Speaker 1: can see, Yeah, exactly. So there's still the possibility that 439 00:26:09,040 --> 00:26:12,239 Speaker 1: something smaller could hit and still cause massive damage. It's 440 00:26:12,280 --> 00:26:15,240 Speaker 1: just not gonna necessarily cause global damage, but it could 441 00:26:15,320 --> 00:26:19,679 Speaker 1: cause catastrophic local damage, you know. Um. Yeah, there's some 442 00:26:20,000 --> 00:26:23,520 Speaker 1: interesting organizations out there that are dedicated to trying to 443 00:26:23,600 --> 00:26:25,920 Speaker 1: fix this problem. There's one called the B six one 444 00:26:26,000 --> 00:26:31,200 Speaker 1: to Foundation, uh, and they their goal is to have 445 00:26:31,440 --> 00:26:36,920 Speaker 1: a workable solution by So that's coming up pretty pretty soon. UM. 446 00:26:36,960 --> 00:26:39,520 Speaker 1: If you guys want to learn more about the topic, well, 447 00:26:39,560 --> 00:26:41,920 Speaker 1: I can recommend a couple of things and how stuff works. 448 00:26:41,920 --> 00:26:44,480 Speaker 1: We actually have two articles that you go into more 449 00:26:44,480 --> 00:26:46,960 Speaker 1: detail about the stuff we've talked about. One is called 450 00:26:47,040 --> 00:26:49,840 Speaker 1: could we really blow up an incoming asteroid with a 451 00:26:49,920 --> 00:26:52,480 Speaker 1: nuclear bomb? And one is called could we stop an 452 00:26:52,480 --> 00:26:56,200 Speaker 1: asteroid on a collision course towards the Earth? And also uh, 453 00:26:56,640 --> 00:27:00,440 Speaker 1: there's a great program that aired on Discovery UM called 454 00:27:00,480 --> 00:27:04,280 Speaker 1: Bad Universe, and it was it's hosted by Phil Plate, 455 00:27:04,400 --> 00:27:07,119 Speaker 1: the Bad Astronomer. Phil Plate, by the way, one of 456 00:27:07,160 --> 00:27:10,840 Speaker 1: my favorite bloggers and scientists out there, because he's one 457 00:27:10,880 --> 00:27:14,919 Speaker 1: of those scientists who really dedicates his work to explaining 458 00:27:14,960 --> 00:27:17,960 Speaker 1: science to the layman. In terms that are easy, easy 459 00:27:17,960 --> 00:27:22,399 Speaker 1: to understand. It makes science fun and exciting, and he 460 00:27:22,480 --> 00:27:26,000 Speaker 1: does not shy away from topics like this, where you know, 461 00:27:26,040 --> 00:27:28,440 Speaker 1: he's like, yeah, it'll kill you, so that's why I 462 00:27:28,480 --> 00:27:32,560 Speaker 1: gotta fix it. So he's very matter of fact about it. Um, 463 00:27:32,560 --> 00:27:35,439 Speaker 1: really intelligent guy, very entertaining guy. So if you have 464 00:27:35,560 --> 00:27:38,720 Speaker 1: not read his stuff or watched his show, I do 465 00:27:38,840 --> 00:27:42,120 Speaker 1: recommend trying to catch that because it's he's a great guy. 466 00:27:42,119 --> 00:27:45,159 Speaker 1: And he also has a really amusing Twitter feed, and 467 00:27:45,160 --> 00:27:48,680 Speaker 1: he interacts with a lot of other uh Twitter Wisenheimer's 468 00:27:48,680 --> 00:27:52,399 Speaker 1: out there, like Jonathan Colton, Paul and Storm, you know, um, 469 00:27:52,960 --> 00:27:56,639 Speaker 1: Will Wheaton. There's there's this kind of Twitter rottie that 470 00:27:56,760 --> 00:28:00,960 Speaker 1: have have formed up and uh and so um he 471 00:28:01,960 --> 00:28:05,880 Speaker 1: often will chat with those folks in interesting and entertaining ways. 472 00:28:05,880 --> 00:28:07,760 Speaker 1: And he's and he shares a lot of really cool 473 00:28:08,160 --> 00:28:10,879 Speaker 1: science news through his Twitter feed as well. I showed 474 00:28:10,920 --> 00:28:14,440 Speaker 1: you that that amazing photo of the Space Shuttle Endeavor 475 00:28:14,480 --> 00:28:19,160 Speaker 1: across the Sun. Yeah, yeah, that was that was courtesy 476 00:28:19,200 --> 00:28:22,159 Speaker 1: of of Mr Phil Plate. So yeah, he's written extensively 477 00:28:22,200 --> 00:28:24,159 Speaker 1: about this, and he's he's talked about it in his 478 00:28:24,200 --> 00:28:27,160 Speaker 1: blogs and on on on the show Bad Universe. Um, 479 00:28:27,240 --> 00:28:30,359 Speaker 1: so I recommend that as well. And uh, well, I 480 00:28:30,400 --> 00:28:33,680 Speaker 1: don't have any other potential solutions off the top of 481 00:28:33,760 --> 00:28:35,080 Speaker 1: my head. Do you have anything else you want to 482 00:28:35,080 --> 00:28:38,800 Speaker 1: add before we conclude? Not in particular? Now, well, then, um, 483 00:28:38,840 --> 00:28:41,480 Speaker 1: I would suggest we all just take a moment to 484 00:28:41,720 --> 00:28:47,840 Speaker 1: uh to to ridicule the documentary armagedon uh for its 485 00:28:48,160 --> 00:28:52,480 Speaker 1: portrayal of how we would uh alter the course of 486 00:28:52,520 --> 00:28:54,760 Speaker 1: a of an asteroid by blowing it up real good, 487 00:28:55,400 --> 00:28:57,440 Speaker 1: uh Texas style. But you have to land a space 488 00:28:57,440 --> 00:29:00,560 Speaker 1: shuttle on it first. Yeah, and you have to sing 489 00:29:00,800 --> 00:29:03,080 Speaker 1: the song I quoted at the beginning at some point, 490 00:29:03,240 --> 00:29:09,000 Speaker 1: and uh, and Bruce Willis has to die. Oh spoiler alert. Yeah. Um, 491 00:29:09,480 --> 00:29:12,320 Speaker 1: I was interested in though, that scientists are also talking 492 00:29:12,320 --> 00:29:17,080 Speaker 1: about the possibility of of mining asteroids in a in 493 00:29:16,880 --> 00:29:20,320 Speaker 1: an attempt to understand them better. Um yeah, I did 494 00:29:20,360 --> 00:29:23,920 Speaker 1: read that. Uh you know, although we may not necessarily 495 00:29:24,600 --> 00:29:28,240 Speaker 1: be ready to to destroy one just yet, that scientists 496 00:29:28,240 --> 00:29:33,360 Speaker 1: even alter its path, right right, Um, But scientists are 497 00:29:33,360 --> 00:29:35,880 Speaker 1: considering the possibility if uh, you know, since they are 498 00:29:35,920 --> 00:29:39,680 Speaker 1: tracking some asteroids that are coming near to Earth and 499 00:29:39,880 --> 00:29:42,400 Speaker 1: near and again space is big, so near as a 500 00:29:42,440 --> 00:29:46,360 Speaker 1: relative term. Um that they're talking about the idea of 501 00:29:47,120 --> 00:29:52,360 Speaker 1: visiting some near Earth asteroids with the possibility of mining, 502 00:29:52,680 --> 00:29:55,400 Speaker 1: you know, taking some samples of the rocks that are 503 00:29:55,480 --> 00:29:57,640 Speaker 1: there on the asteroid to get a better understanding of 504 00:29:58,480 --> 00:30:02,200 Speaker 1: elements in the universe and bringing and back to Earth, which, uh, 505 00:30:02,400 --> 00:30:04,479 Speaker 1: is a really cool idea. I don't I don't imagine 506 00:30:04,480 --> 00:30:07,520 Speaker 1: they would send people to do that. Um. So the 507 00:30:07,560 --> 00:30:12,480 Speaker 1: idea of doing the complex calculation necessary to hit a 508 00:30:12,520 --> 00:30:16,680 Speaker 1: moving object you know that's coming around, um, take samples 509 00:30:16,680 --> 00:30:19,560 Speaker 1: and then return to Earth. That's that's really fascinating stuff. 510 00:30:19,600 --> 00:30:22,360 Speaker 1: And that's not exactly the same topic, but I think 511 00:30:22,360 --> 00:30:26,200 Speaker 1: it's a really cool application of science and hope that 512 00:30:26,840 --> 00:30:28,880 Speaker 1: if they can do that that it will be fruitful 513 00:30:28,920 --> 00:30:30,960 Speaker 1: and we'll learn a lot from it. Yeah, and asteroid 514 00:30:31,000 --> 00:30:33,400 Speaker 1: mining may actually lead to other things as well, like, 515 00:30:33,440 --> 00:30:35,760 Speaker 1: for example, if we find an asteroid that has ice 516 00:30:35,840 --> 00:30:38,880 Speaker 1: deposits on it, that could be a way of finding 517 00:30:38,880 --> 00:30:45,840 Speaker 1: not just water, but actually generating oxygen for other space missions. Alright, guys, 518 00:30:45,840 --> 00:30:49,000 Speaker 1: that wraps up this classic episode of tech stuff. I 519 00:30:49,000 --> 00:30:54,000 Speaker 1: hope you enjoyed that terrifying walk down memory Lane. It's 520 00:30:54,040 --> 00:30:56,080 Speaker 1: not all scary We've got a lot of very smart 521 00:30:56,120 --> 00:30:58,080 Speaker 1: people working on this problem, and there are a lot 522 00:30:58,080 --> 00:31:01,920 Speaker 1: of potential solutions that could really be effective, just not 523 00:31:02,040 --> 00:31:05,920 Speaker 1: in that Armageddon kind of way. But hey, if you 524 00:31:05,960 --> 00:31:08,920 Speaker 1: guys want to join an arousing chorus of leaving on 525 00:31:08,960 --> 00:31:11,640 Speaker 1: a jet plane, I'm right there with you, because I 526 00:31:11,680 --> 00:31:14,280 Speaker 1: love my John Denver. If you guys have suggestions for 527 00:31:14,360 --> 00:31:17,240 Speaker 1: future episodes of tech Stuff, send me a message. 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