Astrophysicist says researchers are developing possible ways to deflect asteroids away from Earth

National Science Foundation astrophysicist Joe Pesce said Thursday that with several asteroids being detected near Earth, researchers are looking at developing ways to deflect “potentially hazardous objects.” 

Pesce discussed the possibilities in an interview on Hill.TV’s “Rising,” following reports that seven asteroids were expected to pass by Earth this week, with one the size of a skyscraper. 

The scientist said that while scientific research is not yet at the point where it can deflect objects hurtling toward Earth, it’s “potentially possible” in the future. 

“The options include a nuclear burst on the asteroid to break it apart,” Pesce said. “[Or] some sort of gravitational tweaking of the orbit of the asteroid to move it out of the way slowly.

“They’re not ideal, they take a long time to plan and to conduct, and we’re not quite there yet,” he added. “But the point is that because these efforts take a long lead time, we want to characterize what the environment is for these near-Earth objects or potentially hazardous objects.

“Luckily to date, we’ve been lucky, but, as we move forward, hopefully we can do something to prevent a catastrophe,” Pesce said. 

Watch part of Pesce’s interview above.