Finally, the solution to asteroids hitting Earth in the far future, which all of us have seen in science fiction movies, is being developed by scientists and engineers at the Stevenage space company EADS Astrium. The British specialists there are working on a big plan to stop and remove asteroids years before hitting our planet, as BBC News informs.
Currently, the next-generation prototype is in the project phase, meaning the spacecraft designed to protect the planet was not built yet.
Astronomers at the Queen’s Astrophysics Research Centre made public a 3D video presentation showing how an asteroid travels to hit the Earth.
The spacecraft known as the gravity tractor would weigh about 10 tones and would be capable of removing any large asteroid before the potential collision with the planet, intercepting it from 48 meters away and applying a small gravitational force on it to pull it towards. It would function based in the gravity force, long-term propulsion methods, with the possibility to power via solar panels.
According to the Near Earth Object programme of Nasa, there are no less than 1068 Potentially Hazardous Asteroids, and to prevent collisions, the gravity tractor would have to launch 15 years before the incidents.
Even if the project is a great one, it needs support from a group of governments.
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