Protecting Earth from Space

SGGP 08/16/2023 06:41

A study published in the scientific journal PNAS suggests that it might be possible to hang a parachute or shield on an asteroid to block the Sun's rays.

Space parachute model to protect the Earth

In the future, this solution could help mitigate climate change, explains István Szapudi, an astronomer at the University of Hawaii’s Institute for Astronomy. The study found that the parachute could shield the planet from 1.7 percent of the sun’s rays, slowing the planet’s warming. The problem is that current rockets don’t have the power to carry a large shield into space. If that’s the case, the next step would be to select an asteroid that could orbit Earth, carrying a sun-blocking parachute.

In 2022, a team of researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology announced the idea of ​​sending a giant “bubble” array into space, positioned between the Earth and the Sun. Theoretically, it would be large enough to deflect sunlight away from the planet to slow some of the effects of global warming.