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What are asteroids? How real is the threat of them causing extinction of life?

Last Updated on Sep 27, 2024

Also Read What are asteroids? How real is the threat of them causing extinction of life? in Hindi

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What are asteroids? How real is the threat of them causing extinction of life? What strategies have been developed to prevent such a catastrophe?
This topic explains the nature of asteroids, assesses the threat they pose to life on Earth, and outlines the strategies developed to mitigate the risk of an asteroid impact. It belongs to General Studies Paper III: Technology, Economic Development, Bio-diversity, Environment, Security and Disaster Management.

Approach:

Introduction: Define asteroids and give brief context on their significance in space.

Body:

Explain the nature of asteroid threats and historical precedents.

Discuss the probability and potential impact of an extinction-level event.

Elaborate on global strategies and technologies, including India’s efforts for detection and deflection.

Conclusion: Highlight the importance of global cooperation and ongoing initiatives to mitigate such risks.

Asteroids are small, rocky objects that orbit the Sun, primarily found in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. They vary in size, ranging from a few meters to hundreds of kilometers in diameter, and are remnants from the early solar system formation. Occasionally, some asteroids deviate from their orbits and pose potential threats to Earth.

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NASA’s Near-Earth Object Program: Tracks potentially hazardous objects (PHOs) and has catalogued over 28,000 NEOs.
European Space Agency (ESA) and others: Global efforts are coordinated to improve surveillance capabilities using telescopes, radar, and satellites.
India’s Role: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has joined global efforts by enhancing its Space Situational Awareness (SSA) capabilities. ISRO has launched the Network for Space Object Tracking and Analysis (NETRA), which tracks space debris and NEOs. India is also planning to develop dedicated asteroid tracking systems.

Kinetic Impact: NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) in 2022 successfully tested this method by altering the orbit of the asteroid Dimorphos through a high-speed collision.
Gravity Tractor: A spacecraft can use gravitational attraction over time to gradually change an asteroid’s trajectory.
Nuclear Detonation: In extreme cases, nuclear explosions could be used to either break up or deflect an incoming asteroid. However, this is a last-resort strategy due to potential fragmentation risks.

United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA): Encourages international collaboration for space-based threat mitigation through platforms like the International Asteroid Warning Network (IAWN).
India's Contribution: ISRO collaborates with global agencies like NASA and the ESA to share data and jointly monitor asteroid threats.