In 2023, a group of scientists from Sandia National Laboratories in the United States carried out, for the first time, a successful experiment to deflect an asteroid. Without nuclear rockets and without breaking international agreements—using only energy that imitates an explosion. The basis of the approach was the Z Machine, a facility the size of a three-story building that releases energy as a powerful x-ray pulse.
In the experiment, samples of minerals similar to real asteroids were thrown off course under the effect of an x-ray burst, reaching speeds of about 257 km/h.
The technique, known as “x-ray scissors,” made it possible to recreate conditions as close as possible to those in space. After NASA’s DART mission in 2022, when the agency first altered an asteroid’s orbit, it became clear that it is possible to protect Earth. It is remarkable to realize that there are people somewhere who are already thinking about such global scenarios today and preparing for them in advance.
Source: MIT Technology Review
URL: https://www.technologyreview.com/2025/04/14/1114306/space-nuclear-explosion-asteroid-protection-research/
Date of the source: 2025-04-14T09:17:06.659Z
