NASA Practicing Techniques for Countering Deadly Asteroids

Guest: Richard Binzel, Professor of Planetary Science, MIT An asteroid the size of a city-block is hurtling towards Earth, and scientists scramble to respond. They launch six spacecraft to slam into the asteroid and knock it off course –but, instead, a chunk splits off and makes a beeline for Central Park in New York City and destroys the lower half of Manhattan. That’s how a simulation went at NASA’s recent Planetary Defense Conference.