NASA Simulation of
Asteroid Hitting NY
Predicts Mass Destruction The simulation was part of the "National Near-Earth Object Preparedness Strategy and Action Plan." Designed by NASA engineer Paul Chodas, it took
place at 2019 Planetary Defense Conference
in College Park, MD. The fictional scenario simulated a
60-meter piece of a larger 260-meter
asteroid breaking off and
impacting Manhattan. An asteroid that size packs
1,000 times the destructive power
of the nuclear bomb that devastated Hiroshima. The piece breaks off after spacecraft
attempts to deflect the larger asteroid
heading straight for Denver, CO. The simulation revealed that
the only way to save the population
of New York was a mass evacuation. NASA officials said it will help to develop "more effective communications" within the planetary defense community and governments. According to NASA,
no known asteroid poses a risk to
the Earth in the next 100 years.