GuyD427 t1_jal2108 wrote on March 2, 2023 at 4:37 AM

I have no problem with public funding for this type of experiment. But, isn’t it obvious that detonating a nuke at the right spot on the asteroid is the way to really make sure you are changing the trajectory?

bookers555 t1_jaqhylb wrote on March 3, 2023 at 9:08 AM

Yes, but launching a nuke on top of a satellite would be way more complex and expensive, plus you'd be violating a few treaties.

Not to mention you dont want to screw around the kind of asteroid that wouldnt just get obliterated by the nuke. The point was analyzing how much of an effect a kinetic impactor would have on an asteroid.