Q&A · 2:38:50-2:39:50

What navies could do about an incoming asteroid

An incoming-asteroid scenario prompts a speculative nuclear-deflection proposal, with the required trajectory change left uncalculated.

Question

How would NATO navies respond to a four-mile nickel-iron asteroid on an Earth-impact course with one year of warning?

Short answer

The panel suggests nuclear detonations to deflect the asteroid, but does not establish how NATO navies would launch or carry out the interception.

Notes

The suggested response is to use nuclear detonations to change the asteroid's course. With a year of warning, the discussion proposes a small angular deflection that would make it miss Earth or pass through a different encounter with the Moon. A roughly half-degree change is offered as a rough idea, without an orbital calculation. The exchange does not identify a naval launch platform or work through an interception plan.