Destruction of planets is nothing new in Sci-Fi movies. We have seen how planets get destroyed in many Sci-Fi movies. But practical world is different from cinematic world. A study suggests that our best chance of defending the planet from asteroids is to equip spacecrafts with solar-powered lasers. And, the technology required to do this already exists.
Asteroids are dangerous for any planet as well as life forms. If a asteroid hits a planet strongly that planet may vanish from the galaxy. In addition, the smaller the asteroid, the bigger the danger. In recent years it has been found that, only for 7 meter (23 feet) distance, 2012 KT42 asteroid didn’t hit the earth. In fact this was the sixth closest encounter of any known asteroid.
In the future, this type of incident may happen again. So, we need to have precautions to protect our planet and as well as mankind. Two aerospace engineers Massimiliano Vasile and Christie Maddock at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, UK have proposed futuristic spacecrafts should include solar-powered lasers to destroy any asteroid that might collide with planet Earth and change it’s course. The technology depends on some basics – how much deflection is needed to avoid catastrophe, how much warning we’ll have, how long it can spend nudging the asteroid etc.
Source : BBC