Impact! Looking out for Asteroids

Overview

An astral body colliding with the Earth is not a Hollywood fantasy. NASA estimates that some 20,000 small astral bodies could smash into the Earth. Any one of these impacts could pose a serious threat to civilization. Observatories around the world are working together to protect our planet. They scan the universe to detect potentially dangerous asteroids as early as possible. NASA is also studying how the paths of asteroids could be changed to prevent them from hitting the Earth. This episode looks at the frontline research being carried out to better understand the little-known phenomenon of astral collision and prevent a potentially catastrophic impact with the Earth.