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Asteroids are Stronger, Harder to Destroy than previously thought

This is a frame-by-frame showing how gravity causes asteroid fragments to reaccumulate in the hours following impact.
Credit: Charles El Mir/Johns Hopkins University

A popular theme in the movies is that of an incoming asteroid that could extinguish life on the planet, and our heroes are launched into space to blow it up. But incoming asteroids may be harder to break than scientists previously thought, finds a Johns Hopkins study that used a new understanding of rock fracture and a new computer modeling method to simulate asteroid collisions.

The findings, to be published in the March 15 print issue of Icarus, can aid in the creation of asteroid impact and deflection strategies, increase understanding of solar system formation and help design asteroid mining efforts.

“We used to believ...

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