Search

Find uplifting stories about heroes, innovations, and solutions

397 results for "asteroid deflection"

NASA Proves We Can Deflect Asteroids to Protect Earth
InnovationMar 7

NASA Proves We Can Deflect Asteroids to Protect Earth

Four years after NASA deliberately crashed a spacecraft into an asteroid, new research confirms humanity just changed a space rock's path around the Sun for the first time ever. The successful experiment means we now have a proven way to protect our planet from future asteroid threats.

France 24 English3 min read
NASA Deflects Asteroid, Proves Earth Can Be Protected
InnovationMar 10

NASA Deflects Asteroid, Proves Earth Can Be Protected

Humanity just passed its first planetary defense test. NASA deliberately crashed a spacecraft into an asteroid in 2022, and new data confirms we successfully changed how two space rocks orbit the sun.

Google News - Science2 min read
Scientists Ready to Pulverize Asteroids Using Existing Tech
InnovationApr 1

Scientists Ready to Pulverize Asteroids Using Existing Tech

A team at UC Santa Barbara has designed a system to blast dangerous asteroids into harmless bits using rockets and technology we already have. Unlike asteroid deflection methods, this "Pulverize It" program could work even with short warning times.

Scientific American3 min read
Backyard Stargazers Now Help Defend Earth From Asteroids
Planet WinsJan 27

Backyard Stargazers Now Help Defend Earth From Asteroids

Amateur astronomers with smart telescopes are joining NASA missions to track dangerous asteroids and discover comets. One citizen scientist in South Africa captured crucial data during NASA's asteroid deflection test.

Space.com3 min read
China Plans Asteroid Defense Test 50% Faster Than NASA's
Planet Wins1d ago

China Plans Asteroid Defense Test 50% Faster Than NASA's

China is preparing to slam a spacecraft into an asteroid at a jaw-dropping 9 kilometers per second, nearly 50% faster than NASA's groundbreaking mission. The ambitious planetary defense test could actually change an asteroid's path around Earth before 2030.

South China Morning Post3 min read
NASA Crash Nudged Entire Asteroid System Off Course
InnovationMar 7

NASA Crash Nudged Entire Asteroid System Off Course

When NASA deliberately smashed a spacecraft into an asteroid in 2022, scientists hoped to prove we could defend Earth from space rocks. New data reveals the impact did something even better: it shifted the entire asteroid system's path around the Sun.

Ars Technica Science3 min read
Nonprofit B612 Foundation Shields Earth From Asteroids
SolutionsFeb 12

Nonprofit B612 Foundation Shields Earth From Asteroids

A Silicon Valley nonprofit is working to protect our planet from dangerous asteroid impacts through research, education, and global cooperation. Since 2002, the B612 Foundation has been advancing asteroid detection and deflection strategies while teaching the world about these cosmic threats.

Space.com3 min read
Blue Origin Teams Up With NASA to Defend Earth From Asteroids
InnovationMar 18

Blue Origin Teams Up With NASA to Defend Earth From Asteroids

Blue Origin is partnering with NASA to protect Earth from dangerous asteroids using ion beams and high-speed impacts. The NEO Hunter mission will scan, deflect, and divert space rocks before they can threaten our planet.

Space.com2 min read
James Webb Telescope Confirms Asteroid Will Miss Moon in 2032
Planet WinsMar 6

James Webb Telescope Confirms Asteroid Will Miss Moon in 2032

The most dangerous asteroid ever discovered won't hit Earth or the moon after all, thanks to NASA's powerful James Webb Space Telescope tracking it 280 million miles away. Scientists now have proof that asteroid 2024 YR4 will safely pass by both worlds in December 2032.

Scientific American3 min read
Asteroids Throw 'Cosmic Snowballs' at Each Other, NASA Finds
InnovationMar 12

Asteroids Throw 'Cosmic Snowballs' at Each Other, NASA Finds

NASA's asteroid defense mission captured the first proof that space rocks gently toss debris at each other like cosmic snowballs, reshaping surfaces over millions of years. The discovery came from images taken seconds before the spacecraft deliberately crashed into an asteroid in 2022.

Space.com2 min read
NASA Solves Asteroid Bennu's Boulder Mystery
Planet WinsMar 17

NASA Solves Asteroid Bennu's Boulder Mystery

Scientists finally cracked the puzzle of why asteroid Bennu looked so unexpectedly rocky when NASA's spacecraft arrived. The answer hiding inside samples brought back to Earth reveals a fractured world that changes how we understand asteroids.

NASA3 min read
NASA Spacecraft Changes Asteroid's Path Around the Sun
InnovationMar 7

NASA Spacecraft Changes Asteroid's Path Around the Sun

For the first time ever, humans have measurably shifted the orbit of a celestial body around the Sun. When NASA deliberately crashed a spacecraft into an asteroid in 2022, the impact changed the path of not just one asteroid, but two.

Google News - Science3 min read
New Rubin Observatory Spots 1,500 Asteroids in First Images
InnovationMay 16

New Rubin Observatory Spots 1,500 Asteroids in First Images

The world's most powerful space survey telescope just started collecting data, and it's already discovering asteroids at a mind-blowing pace. In its very first images, the Rubin Observatory found 1,500 new asteroids, including some spinning faster than scientists thought possible.

Google News - Science3 min read
NASA Asteroid Test Changed Its Orbit Around the Sun
Planet WinsMar 8

NASA Asteroid Test Changed Its Orbit Around the Sun

Four years after NASA crashed a spacecraft into an asteroid to test Earth's defenses, scientists confirmed it worked even better than expected. The impact not only changed the asteroid's path but altered its orbit around the Sun for the first time in human history.

Google News - Science2 min read
Europe and Japan Team Up to Study Asteroid Apophis in 2029
Planet WinsMay 10

Europe and Japan Team Up to Study Asteroid Apophis in 2029

Two major space agencies just signed a historic agreement to send a spacecraft to asteroid Apophis during its rare close flyby of Earth. The mission will gather crucial data to help protect our planet from future asteroid threats.

Google News - Science2 min read
🌍
Planet WinsMar 19

China Targets 2027 Launch for Asteroid Defense Mission

China is preparing to launch its first planetary defense mission in December 2027, aiming a spacecraft at asteroid 2016 WP8 to test humanity's ability to protect Earth from space threats. The mission marks another nation joining the effort to keep our planet safe from asteroids.

SpaceNews3 min read
Japan's Hayabusa2 Probe Buzzes Asteroid at 11,000 MPH
InnovationJul 5

Japan's Hayabusa2 Probe Buzzes Asteroid at 11,000 MPH

Japan's spacecraft just completed one of the closest asteroid flybys ever attempted, racing past a space rock at 11,000 miles per hour. The mission could help scientists learn how to protect Earth from future asteroid threats.

Japan Times2 min read
Asteroid Named After Elliott Smith on His Exact Birthday
Global NewsJun 20

Asteroid Named After Elliott Smith on His Exact Birthday

A filmmaker got an asteroid officially renamed after beloved musician Elliott Smith, and the cosmic timing couldn't be more perfect. The asteroid's number matches Smith's birthday exactly: August 6, 1969.

Space.com2 min read
NASA Finds Asteroid Cracks That Explain Space Mystery
Planet WinsMar 20

NASA Finds Asteroid Cracks That Explain Space Mystery

Scientists peering inside rocks from asteroid Bennu discovered something unexpected: tiny crack networks that solve a puzzle about how asteroids behave in space. The discovery came from samples that traveled 4 billion miles to reach Earth.

Space.com2 min read
NASA Proved We Can Knock Asteroids Off Course
InnovationMar 11

NASA Proved We Can Knock Asteroids Off Course

NASA crashed a spacecraft into an asteroid in 2022 and changed its path around the sun. The success proves humanity could defend Earth from a dangerous space rock heading our way.

Google News - Science2 min read

Showing 20 of 397