On today 2010 XC15, a 150-metre (500-foot) wide stone will make a close visit to Earth. This asteroid isn't going to hit us, but we are going to hit it with nearly 10 million radio waves.
Scientists fromUniversity of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) and NASA have decided to test on him our defenses against Apophis, a dangerous asteroid (that one) that could hit our planet in 2029. The object will pass by on April 13th of that year and should do so at a distance from Earth 10 times smaller than what we have from the Moon: better prepare, you never know.
How will they do it?
You know what the project is HAARP (High-frequency Active Auroral Research Program)? At least officially, I say. This is a US government-funded program to study the ionosphere, the part of the Earth's atmosphere that lies between 80 and 640 kilometers (50 and 400 miles) from the Earth's surface.
Today we will use it for the first time to "dig" inside an asteroid, 2010 XC15. To do so, researchers will fire radio waves with a frequency of 9,6 megahertz at the asteroid. Find it here the official press release of the UAF.
According to NASA's lead researcher, Mark Haynes, knowing how they are made inside will help us better understand the damage that asteroids could do us, and to find a way to protect ourselves from them.
Why it is important to hit the 2010 XC15 with these radio “bullets”.
This test is critical because, if scientists can successfully study the 2010 XC15 using radio waves, they will be able to do the same with asteroids dangerous for the Earth, primarily the asteroid Apophis.
Already. Because there is a high probability that Apophis will miss our planet in 2029, but if not there would be catastrophic consequences. For example, on its website The Planetary Society writes that an Apophis impact “would cause widespread destruction up to several hundred kilometers from the impact site. The energy released would be equal to more than 1.000 megatons of TNT, or tens to hundreds of nuclear weapons.”
In other words: 9,6 million radio waves shot out every two seconds, and we could do without calling Bruce Willis (also because it's not going well). Come on guys: we don't wanna close our eyes!
