09/16/2024
Journalist Andrews (Super Volcanoes) serves up a rollicking study of scientific efforts to prevent asteroids from striking Earth. The narrative chronicles the development and successful execution of the Double Asteroid Redirection Test, a mission that changed the orbit of the small asteroid Dimorphos by crashing a van-size spacecraft into it in 2022. Andrews describes the technical wizardry that went into making the spacecraft (it would travel too far from Earth to pilot manually, so it was outfitted with an automated guidance system adapted from ballistic missiles) and offers a tense firsthand account of what it was like inside Johns Hopkins University’s Applied Physics Laboratory, which partnered with NASA on the mission, during the countdown to impact (“Some people were rigid as stone; others vacillated as if affected by an earthquake”). Discussions of what Hollywood gets wrong about doomsday scenarios amuse, as when Andrews explains that using an uncrewed spacecraft to deliver nukes for detonation on an asteroid’s surface would have made more sense than the manned drilling missions in Armageddon and Deep Impact. Andrews’s sharp eye for detail captures the expertise and eccentricity of scientists involved in the DART mission, such as when he notes that the larger asteroid Dimorphos orbited was sometimes depicted as the Death Star in simulations. It’s a surprisingly fun report on averting catastrophe. Photos. (Oct.)
"Highly readable and engaging. . . . Exciting and surprisingly funny, How to Kill an Asteroid is a must read for space enthusiasts and anyone who enjoys good narrative science journalism."
"A captivating report on efforts to mitigate the worst existential risk that humanity faces…A must read for space geeks and long-term-survival aficionados."
"A page-turner of a cosmic mystery about one of the most important subjects facing humanity—planetary defense from killer asteroids. Robin George Andrews is the perfect storyteller, making NASA science accessible for everyone."
"Deeply researched and tenaciously reported, How to Kill an Asteroid is a detailed inside look at some of the most important recent undertakings in the history of space science…Robin George Andrews is a spirited, erudite, and humorous guide."
"Bookended by disparate visions of future asteroid encounters, Robin George Andrews’s storytelling and nerdy humor make the DART mission feel personal. Reading this book should assuage the fears of anyone worried that humanity will blaze out like the dinosaurs did."
"Andrews’ writing style is funny, wry, passionate, and deeply informed. How to Kill an Asteroid is one of the most entertaining pop-science reads of the year."
"If we’re going to avoid the fate of the dinosaurs, we need to be looking toward the sky. Robin George Andrews vividly explains how we may do just that, drawing from decades of discovery and invention to think through how we might accomplish the seemingly impossible task of pushing back against an asteroid with Earth’s name on it."
"Brilliantly captures the urgency and complexity of planetary defense, highlighting the innovative technologies and dedicated scientists working to protect Earth from these cosmic threats. A compelling and informative read for anyone interested in space exploration and the future of our planet."
"How to Kill an Asteroid is a testament to humanity’s ingenuity in the face of cosmic danger, and you will not find a more enthusiastic and skilled planetary guide than Robin George Andrews. With riveting detail and cinematic flair, the book catapults readers into a reality that feels like science fiction."
2024-08-02
Big asteroids rarely strike our planet, but smaller ones not so rarely, and scientists are worrying.
Science journalist Andrews, author ofSuper Volcanoes, writes that an asteroid blew up over Chelyabinsk, a Russian city of 1.2 million, in 2013. Disintegrating before reaching the ground, it produced a vivid flash and deafening explosion that broke windows and damaged thousands of buildings. More than a hundred citizens were hospitalized. The explosion, equal to that of 500,000 tons of TNT, was caused by an asteroid 60 feet wide. History buffs remember the 1908 Tunguska meteor, which destroyed 800 square miles of remote Siberia, flattening 80 million trees with a blast equivalent to that of 12 million tons of TNT. It was 160 feet across. Surprise asteroids thrill movie audiences, but astronomers have detected most of the big ones. On the other hand, readers may be startled to learn that of the several hundred thousand Tunguska-size asteroids that astronomers call “near-Earth objects (NEOs)” (they’re also called “city killers”) thought to exist, only 7 percent have been found. Having set the scene, Andrews describes a NASA mission, DART, to send a spacecraft crashing into a distant NEO to shift its orbit. Launched in November 2021, it successfully completed its mission the following September, proving that this could be done. Andrews describes other missions to asteroids and comets, as well as ongoing NASA efforts at planetary defense, although readers may be dismayed to learn these are not a priority. A high-tech satellite, NEO Surveyor, designed to detect the mass of undetected asteroids, was proposed in the early 2000s, approved after many delays, and scheduled to launch by 2028, but that date became uncertain when its budget was cut. A member of the “science is boring” school, Andrews writes breezy prose peppered with flippant asides, jokes, and apologies for technical terms, but he has done his homework.
A skillful review of NASA efforts to save the Earth.
