Asteroids have reshaped Earth before—and scientists know another impact is inevitable. When traditional deflection methods won’t work, what’s the last resort?
At Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, experts are exploring nuclear deflection: using nuclear energy to alter an asteroid’s path or break it apart before impact. But how does it work, what are the risks, and how prepared are we to use it when the time comes?
This is the second episode in our Planetary Defense series.
--
Big Ideas Lab is a Mission.org original series.
Executive Produced by Lacey Peace and Levi Hanusch.
Sound Design, Music Edit and Mix by Daniel Brunelle.
Story Editing by Daniel Brunelle.
Audio Engineering and Editing by Matthew Powell.
Narrated by Matthew Powell.
Video Production by Levi Hanusch.
Guests featured in this episode (in order of appearance):
- Cody Raskin, Design Physicist, LLNL
- Mary Burkey, Staff Scientist, LLNL
- Mike Owen, Computational Physicist, LLNL
Brought to you in partnership with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Popular Podcasts
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Are You A Charlotte?
In 1997, actress Kristin Davis’ life was forever changed when she took on the role of Charlotte York in Sex and the City. As we watched Carrie, Samantha, Miranda and Charlotte navigate relationships in NYC, the show helped push once unacceptable conversation topics out of the shadows and altered the narrative around women and sex. We all saw ourselves in them as they searched for fulfillment in life, sex and friendships. Now, Kristin Davis wants to connect with you, the fans, and share untold stories and all the behind the scenes. Together, with Kristin and special guests, what will begin with Sex and the City will evolve into talks about themes that are still so relevant today. "Are you a Charlotte?" is much more than just rewatching this beloved show, it brings the past and the present together as we talk with heart, humor and of course some optimism.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.