NASA is exploring the possibility of using nuclear bombs to prevent asteroid 2024 YR4 from colliding with the Moon. This asteroid, discovered in December 2024, initially raised concerns about a potential 3% chance of hitting Earth in 2032. However, further observations have ruled out any risk to our planet, although a collision with the Moon still remains a possibility.
If 2024 YR4 were to strike the Moon, it could eject lunar debris into space. These micrometeoroid particles could pose serious risks to satellites and spacecraft in low Earth orbit, and even endanger astronauts in spacesuits. The potential consequences highlight why scientists are taking this threat seriously.
To address the situation, NASA is considering two main strategies: deflection and destruction. Deflection would involve altering the asteroid’s trajectory, but this method is seen as difficult due to uncertainties about the asteroid’s mass and composition. The second, more extreme approach is to destroy the asteroid using nuclear bombs. NASA proposes deploying two 100-kiloton bombs, each five to eight times more powerful than those used in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, with the second bomb acting as a backup in case the first fails.
Although a single 1-megaton nuclear bomb could theoretically destroy the asteroid, such a test has never been carried out in space. The only nuclear detonation in space occurred in the 1960s, and that was not intended for asteroid destruction.
NASA’s consideration of this drastic measure underscores the seriousness of the threat posed by asteroid 2024 YR4. It also highlights the lengths to which space agencies are willing to go to protect Earth and its neighboring celestial bodies.
