Nuclear bombs. That’s the go-to answer for incoming space objects like asteroids and comets, as far as Hollywood is concerned. Movies like “Deep Impact” and “Armageddon” rely on nukes to save the world and deliver the drama.
But planetary defense experts say in reality, if astronomers spotted a dangerous incoming space rock, the safest and best answer might be something more subtle, like simply pushing it off course by ramming it with a small spacecraft.
That’s just what NASA is getting ready to try, with a spacecraft that’s scheduled to smack into an asteroid at 7:14 pm Eastern time on Monday.
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