Moscow scientists are reportedly working to improve the capabilities of existing intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) so they can be used to shoot down meteors or asteroids that come too close to the Earth, and they plan to test their effectiveness within the next 20 years.
According to the Daily Mail and Russian news agency TASS, the program would destroy near-Earth objects between 20 and 50 meters in size. The goal is to test the missile’s effectiveness on asteroid 99942 Apophis, which they believe will fly “dangerously close” to Earth during the year 2036 – despite NASA’s assurances that the object poses no threat to the planet.
Initially discovered in 2004, 99942 Apophis is the size of the size of 3.5 football fields. Early calculations predicted that there was a 2.7 percent possibility of the asteroid striking the Earth, the Daily Mail said, but more recent calculations effectively eliminated any chance of such an impact. Nonetheless, Russian scientists hope to be prepared, just in case.
“Most rockets work on boiling fuel,” Sabit Saitgarayev, senior scientist at the Makeyev Rocket Design Bureau, told reporters. “Their fueling begins 10 days before the launch and, therefore, they are unfit for destroying meteorites similar to the Chelyabinsk meteorite in diameter, which are detected several hours before coming close to the Earth. For this purpose, intercontinental ballistic missiles can be used, which requires their upgrade.”
ICBMs could provide quick response to near-Earth object threats
However, according to Digital Trends and Popular Mechanics, Saitgarayev’s plans require the permission of authorities and several million dollars, and while work to modify the missiles has already begun, it is currently unclear at this time is the project will ever be completed.
One of the reasons Russian scientists are eager to come up with defense system against asteroids and other space rocks is the Chelyabinsk meteor, which exploded over the Ural Mountain region in 2013, injuring nearly 1,500 people. The 65 foot (20 meter) wide object and meteors of roughly the same size are difficult to detect in advance but still capable of tremendous damage, Popular Mechanics said, meaning that a defensive response would need to be launched quickly.
Unlike conventional rockets, ICBMs were designed to be fired on short notice, and while in the past the goal of firing such missiles was to end lives, Saitgarayev and his colleagues are hopeful that they can now be used to save them. They are currently working on designs for the upgraded rockets, even though the project has yet to be authorized and uncertainly over the availability of funding.
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Feature Image: Thinkstock
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