Hundreds of thousands of asteroids are lurking in the solar system, and space scientists believe that one of these rocks could inevitably hit the earth in the future. In order to prevent a potential collision, NASA, the United States space agency is apparently developing a planetary defence weapon.
The primary purpose of this weapon is to nudge an asteroid from its collision course, and if this method does not work, the space agency will be compelled to nuke an approaching space rock.
Outer space treaties could elevate chances of asteroid hit
However, David Koplow, professor of law at Georgetown University believes that outer space treaties between nations could elevate the chances of a future asteroid hit. Koplow also does not believe in the effectiveness of the planetary defence weapon, and he claims that the weapon is not tested properly, and it has no proven track record.
"There are two important treaties, both long-standing and joined by most of the countries in the world, that specifically forbid the placement of nuclear weapons in orbit and the use of nuclear explosions in space. Suppose there is an asteroid coming and we do try to deflect it, but we are only partially successful, instead of hitting country A, it hits country B.
There's a treaty that imposes absolute liability if your space activity causes harm to another country. Overall, we're not quite there yet in terms of a solution to these issues, but it's better to think through these contingencies now, rather than later," said Koplow, Express.co.uk reports.
Which species will survive if a doomsday asteroid hit earth?
Around 66 million years ago, a giant asteroid hit the earth and resulted in the extinction of dinosaurs. Apart from dinosaurs, around 70 percent of all species on the earth was wiped off after this event. If such an asteroid hits earth again, millions or billions may die within a second without even knowing what had happened.
Space expert Lembit Öpik believes that humanity will not survive if a doomsday asteroid hits the earth in its full fury. As per Öpik, only cockroaches, certain deep-sea creatures, and other living beings that feed on dead meat will survive after the asteroid impact.
