Word: orbiters
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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This reaction, while not uncommon, is not realistic given the history of serious collisions, says Jaroff, and the possibility of future events. "We now have a catalog of 200-odd asteroids more than a kilometer across whose trajectories bring them very close to Earth's orbit. A piece of rock that's a kilometer or larger would have worldwide consequences if it hit the planet." Specifically, the sky would go dark with ash, plant life would die and existence would be generally much less enjoyable. And even if a relatively small asteroid were to make contact with a major metropolitan...
...country's most prestigious research facilities to conjure up ways of dealing with these hurtling rocks should an asteroid ever establish itself as a threat. "Once they've identified the asteroid," Jaroff says, "scientists can predict years, even decades ahead of time whether it will intersect the Earth's orbit at a moment when the Earth is there." And should scientists discover such a scenario looming on the horizon, Jaroff says there are many ways to engage, deflect or destroy the giant rocks, including the controlled use of nuclear bombs, whose blasts could nudge the asteroids off their collision course...