Scientists have successfully tested a test to nuke any future asteroid that can potentially wipe out life on Earth.
The scientists did destroy a small 160-meter asteroid hurtling towards Earth in 2022 by smashing a spacecraft into it.
But the latest test focused on potentially larger asteroids that can cause kilometers of sea waves and uncontrollable earthquakes on impact.
The Test
The test experiment was conducted at Sandia National Laboratories in New Mexico that involved blasting X-rays at a marble-sized “mock asteroid.”
The mock asteroid which was around 12 millimeters mimicked an actual asteroid and the x-rays as a nuclear bomb.
The X-rays vaporized the surface of the asteroid, creating a rocket-like propulsion effect that moved it at a speed of 250 kilometers per hour.
X-Ray Can Deflect Huge Asteroids
This lab experiment is the first to confirm that X-rays from a nuclear blast could indeed deflect an asteroid.
Scientists said the strategy should work for asteroids up to four kilometers in size.
