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#NEO
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Near-Earth Objects: Mapping and Deflecting the Rocks That Could End Civilization
There are hundreds of thousands of asteroids with orbits that bring them near Earth. A significant fraction are large enough to cause regional or global catastrophe. In 2022, NASA proved it could change an asteroid's orbit. The question now is whether we would have enough warning.
Could We Deflect a Civilization-Ending Asteroid, and How?
Earth has been struck by large asteroids before — the one that ended the non-avian dinosaurs 66 million years ago released energy equivalent to a billion nuclear bombs. For the first time in the planet's history, a species has the technology to prevent such an impact. In 2022, NASA proved it works.