Asteroids, Meteors: Impacts on Earth & ASTR 202 Life in The Uni - Essay Sample

Introduction

Asteroids, meteors, and meteors are heavenly bodies that orbit the space outside the solar system. Most of these space bodies are very far away from the earth, and the chances of them approaching the ground are low. However, research has shown that over a thousand of the millions of space bodies have been identified to come close to the ground. These space bodies may have varied impacts on the planet, whether they approach to hit the ground. This paper aims to discuss ASTR 202 Life in The Universe.

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What Types Of Objects May Impact Earth And Why

Asteroids and comets are the standard space bodies that impact the earth in varied ways. Those made of rock fragments lose their energy due to friction and disintegrate before reaching the surface. The ones which have hit the ground million years ago were probably made up of iron and were big enough to maintain their energy. When they hit the ground, they interfere with chemical structure as well as cause craters, 20 times bigger than their original size. Several meteors have hit the planets, explaining the vast craters in the moon, mars, and mercury, among other worlds. The impact is that it may cause the extinction of human beings just like the dinosaurs.

These space objects also have significance to the chemical structure of the earth as most of the minerals including nuclear energy is as s result of them. The current rate of knowledge that people have is sufficient to enable the ground to mitigate the impending dangers of these space bodies destroying the planet. It requires that more research be done, and more space missions are launched so that people would be made aware and start-up with ways of mitigating the dangers. Several asteroids have been predicted and the impacts they have if they were to hit the earth. One way of reaction is melting the land in which by the time it cools, humanity would be long gone

When And How Did The Chicxulub Crater Form

Chicxulub crater s located in Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico. The rater is thought to have formed about 65 million years ago when a massive asteroid hit the earth and wiping off most of life (Lowery et al., 2017). This was during the cretaceous Paleogene boundary, during which it is believed that the non-avian dinosaurs died. The rater has an estimation of 150 kilometers in diameters and about 20 kilometers in depth (Lowery et al., 2017). The original craters buried deep into sedentary rocks and, therefore, making scientific research difficult. It is the second biggest confirmed crater that has an impact on steroids.

How Can We Find Potentially Dangerous Asteroids

The identification of potentially dangerous asteroids will employ scientific research in which scientists will research the space. It also would include conducting space missions to identify if there is an asteroid that is dangerous to the planet earth. Often the space objects are hazardous is their direction is towards the art and are the risk of hitting the surface of the planet. There are defined by a parameter that measures an aggressive close approach to the planet. Asteroids that have a minimum orbit intersection distance of about 0.05 au and less and have a magnitude of 22.0 (H) and less are considered to be potentially dangerous asteroids (Gates et al., 2015).

How A Potentially Dangerous Impactor Could Be Stopped

The mitigation of a potentially dangerous asteroid will depend on its nature and speed to be corrected. Nuclear bombs may be sent to combat an incoming asteroid. When they collide, or the atomic bomb hits the asteroid, it would integrate into small meteors whose impacts are minor and may not reach the surface of the earth. In the space, there is no air, and therefore, shock waves are not available; thus, the nuclear weapon must hit the asteroid (Tyson, 2012). Another method of combating asteroids would be to engage a radiation intensive neutron bomb. The bomb would heat one side of the asteroid, which will cause materials to spill from the asteroid, and therefore, the asteroid would coil. When it twists, it changes its path and moves away room approaching the earth (Tyson, 2012). The other methods would be to attach rockets into the asteroid with a slow but steady speed and thus will move it away slowly. The missiles would use conventional chemical fuels, or a solar sail can be used, which would harness solar energy and use it for power. A probe may be packed in the space close to the killer asteroid. The gravity between the asteroid and the examination to be drawn towards the steroid. When this happens, rockets would be set to fire the asteroid to be brought to the test and, therefore, drifting it away from the surface of the earth.

The Most Interesting Solution

The most exciting solution to combating killer asteroid is the use of radiation intensive bombs and the use of nuclear weapons. This is because these two are very useful in even combating emergency killer comets. It is identified that most of this asteroid is challenging to locate and would only be noted few ears and a few months before they hit the earth. Using the other methods would require an early discovery of the asteroids. The use of radiation intensive bombs and nuclear is straightforward and cheap because the weapons are readily available. It also makes the use of the evidence more useful other than using it against humanity in wars. The use of these nuclear weapons and radiation intensive bombs has an immediate impact, which can be studied, and further dangers are studied. The other two are not sure and do not guarantee that the asteroid would be combated since they are slow processes.

Conclusion

In conclusion, asteroids and space bodies are real and exist. The study and discovery of them would require scientists to be committed and that more people endeavor to study science so as t mitigate these challenges. Ignorance of these space threats may be fatal, including wiping away the entire universe like the time of the dinosaurs. It does not wipe the earth; it may change the climate and even chemical structure and make life unbearable or the people and animals on earth. This is why; governments should invest heavily in space missions and the study of scientists about space and the safety of the planet earth. It is recommended that scientists catalog all details of objects, not only asteroids, that put life on the ground at risk and also the existence of the planets. If the earth would be extinct, this will not be because humans lack brainpower, but because there was no determination and foresight.

References

Gates, M., Muirhead, B., Naasz, B., McDonald, M., Mazanek, D., Stich, S., ... & Reuter, J. (2015, March). NASA's Asteroid Redirect Mission concept development summary. In 2015 IEEE Aerospace Conference (pp. 1-13). IEEE.

Lowery, C., Jones, H., Bralower, T. J., Smit, J., Rodriguez-Tovar, F. J., Whalen, M. T., & Owens, J. D. (2017). Long-Term Recovery of Life in the Chicxulub Crater. AGUFM, 2017, P23H-07.

Tyson, N. D. (2012). Space Chronicles: Facing the ultimate frontier. WW Norton & Company.