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Asteroids can be predicted: expert

Staff Reporter

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Unlike natural calamities, it is possible to predict an asteroid strike well in advance using data bases generated and updated by the world scientific community, said V. Adimurthy, Associate Director, Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre on Friday.

He was speaking at the Dr. Srinivasan memorial lecture on `Earth-Crossing Asteroids: Threat Assessment and Mitigation Options,' organised by the Aeronautical society of India, in the city.

Modern technology

Modern technology is mature enough to formulate suitable mitigation measures to avert `near-earth-asteroid' impact catastrophe.

An approaching asteroid can be deflected as a part of mitigation measure. They include those that rely on brief but intense application of force and those that involve gently pushing or pulling the body over a long time. The frequently mentioned technological options are kinetic impact, nuclear explosion, laserablation, solar radiation pressure and land-and push, he said.

Adequate warning time is a pre-requisite for efficient design and successful implementation of deflecting a hazardous asteroid. Accurate detection and tracking are also equally essential, Mr. Adimurthy added.

According to him, the technological and scientific missions that are currently planned by the space faring nations to reach and explore the asteroids will go a long way not only in providing invaluable scientific data and information on possible scarce resources, but also in evaluating and practicing the deflection options.

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