RUSSIA/FILE: Russian officials discuss using nuclear bomb in space in case of future incoming meteorites

Record ID: 217221

  • Title: RUSSIA/FILE: Russian officials discuss using nuclear bomb in space in case of future incoming meteorites
  • Date: 12th March 2013
  • Summary: CHELYABINSK, RUSSIA (FILE - FEBRUARY 15, 2013) (AMATEUR VIDEO) VARIOUS OF DASHBOARD CAMERA FOOTAGE OF METEORITE EXPLODING IN SKY
  • Embargoed: 27th March 2013 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Russian Federation
  • Country: Russia
  • Topics: Science,Space
  • Reuters ID: LVA7FK1Q7XCAGGK78HV9S6166PVW
  • Story Text: The Russian Federation Council held a meeting on (March 12) to discuss using nuclear weapons against a meteorite threat and how Russia could best protect the Earth from meteorite strikes.
    "The unexpected appearance of out-of-space objects close to the Earth is not an exception but a typical situation and we may have very little time to make a decision to counteract," said the director of Russian Academy of Sciences Astronomy Institute, chairman of experts' group for space threats, Boris Shustov.
    Officials from the Russian nuclear corporation Roscosmos, the defence and foreign ministries took in the meeting.
    The Deputy Director for nuclear weapons management at Rosatom Oleg Shubin said scientists are aware of technologies that can change asteroid's trajectory when it's approaching the Earth.
    "Now we understand the technologies that can provide us with a sub-surface nuclear explosion within a meteorite body. At the same time, such an explosion depending on the depth of the sub-surface explosion, can be equivalent to 10 to 50 megatons," said the Deputy Director for nuclear weapons management at Rosatom Oleg Shubin.
    "In the process of flight, a meteorite falls apart over a one-year period and fragments' range will be around 100,000 kilometres. At the same time, a small part of fragments that will end up in the atmosphere of the Earth will explode in the upper atmosphere because of their small size. The effect of such an interception will make a phenomenal and beautiful show in the sky but still it will be safe for people," Shubin added.
    "We will have a very limited amount of time to prevent the collision. About a year, including the launch of an interceptor and separating fragments in space. It's also worth mentioning that an interception of a meteorite with a size of one kilometre will need the use of nuclear explosive devices with a capacity well exceeding the megaton class," said Shubin.
    Head of Russian Federal Space Agency, Vladimir Popovkin, who also took part in the conference, said that Russia is planning to build a system that is meant to protect the Earth from meteorites. The project, titled "Citadel", would cost about 500 million U.S. dollars, and can only be implemented with the help of international cooperation.
    "In our opinion it's necessary to develop documents on the international level that will avoid testing and deployment of weapons in space under the cover of fight against cometic-meteorite attack," Popovkin said.
    The meeting comes a month after a meteorite entered the Earth's atmosphere undetected and crashed in Russia's Urals (February 15), injuring more than 1000 people.
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