How to kill an asteroid the real science of planetary defense
A gripping account of the "city-killer" asteroids that could threaten Earth and the race to build a planetary defense system. There are approximately 25,000 "city-killer" asteroids in near-Earth orbit-and most are yet to be found. Small enough to evade detection, they are capable of large-scale dest...
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| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Books Print Book |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
[New York, New York] :
W.W. Norton & Company,
[2024]
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| Subjects: | |
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| Summary: | A gripping account of the "city-killer" asteroids that could threaten Earth and the race to build a planetary defense system. There are approximately 25,000 "city-killer" asteroids in near-Earth orbit-and most are yet to be found. Small enough to evade detection, they are capable of large-scale destruction, and represent our greatest cosmic threat. But in September 2022, against all odds, NASA's Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission deliberately crashed a spacecraft into a carefully selected city-killer, altering the asteroid's orbit and proving that we stand a chance against them. In How to Kill an Asteroid, award-winning science journalist Robin George Andrews-who was at DART mission control when it happened-reveals the development of the technology that made it possible, from spotting elusive asteroids and comets to figuring out their geologic defenses and orchestrating a deflection campaign. In a propulsive narrative that reads like a sci-fi thriller, Andrews tells the story of the planetary defense movement, and introduces the international team of scientists and engineers now working to protect Earth. |
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| Physical Description: | 306 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm |
| Bibliography: | Includes bibliographical references and index. |
| ISBN: | 9781324050193 1324050195 |
| Author Notes: |
