Nine students from the Technion working with Dr. Alexander Kogen have developed a proposal to prevent asteroids and other celestial objects from colliding with Earth. The group sent their project in to NASA as part of an international competition.
The students developed their plan in response to fears that an asteroid could collide with Earth in 2036, causing severe damage over an area with a 200-kilometer radius. The students proposed a $353 million plan that would send probes into space, where they would attach themselves to the asteroid and determine the risk of a collision. If the asteroid appeared to be on a collision course, a satellite would be sent into space and would, with help from Earth’s gravitational pull, steer the asteroid onto a different course.
The students had considered blowing up the asteroid as well, Technion sources said, but realized that the option could create many smaller asteroids, which would almost certainly hit Earth and cause damage.