In a recent hypothetical exercise led by NASA, it has been revealed that Earth faces a 72 pre cent chance of being struck by a dangerous asteroid in the future. The exercise, known as the Planetary Defense Interagency Tabletop Exercise, involved nearly 100 representatives from US government agencies and international partners, and was held at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory.
Although there are no imminent threats from asteroids currently known, NASA used the exercise to evaluate how well Earth could respond to such a crisis.
The scenario presented involved a newly discovered asteroid with a significant probability of impact in approximately 14 years, specifically on July 12, 2038.
According to the exercise summary, participants addressed national and global strategies for dealing with the hypothetical asteroid threat. Discussions revealed uncertainties in decision-making processes, limited readiness for rapid space missions, and the need for better global coordination in crisis messaging.
NASA emphasised the importance of its DART mission, which has demonstrated that a kinetic impactor could alter the trajectory of an asteroid, potentially averting a collision with Earth.
Overall, while the exercise underscored significant challenges in planetary defence, it also provided valuable insights for refining strategies and improving international cooperation in safeguarding Earth from future asteroid impacts.
