Unfortunately Bruce Willis Is NOT On The NASA Rocket They Sent To Blow Up That Astroid
Okay, okay, that's a lot to take in in just a headline: We'll back up.
First of all, to immediately calm your nerves: The asteroid they're blowing up is NOT on a collision course with Earth.
Now that you've let out that breath you didn't realize you were holding:
This morning, at 1:20 AM EDT, NASA launched DART, or Double Asteroid Redirection Test, in a rocket made by none other than Space X's Elon Musk. They're actually trying to PREVENT an Armageddon situation, by testing and perfecting our abilities to redirect asteroids BEFORE we know they're imminently heading for Earth. If this test works, it could prevent us from meeting the same end the dinosaurs most likely did.
The need is more present than we might think though, because we've already seen what happens when an asteroid comes anywhere near hitting earth: In 2013, a 60-foot wide one exploded over Russia - not landed on, exploded over - and created "an airburst and shockwave that struck six cities across that country," according to NASA. They estimate that there are about 500 of those near enough to present a potential problem.
NASA did see the amusing link, though, and reached out to ask actor Bruce Willis if he wanted to come and see the launch of the real-life Armageddon rocket. Department administrator Bill Nelson said, "we didn't want to miss that connection."
Apparently Bruce was too busy - or didn't want to go to space again. But we shouldn't worry too much: The launch was a success, and the probe is now on its way to crashing into an asteroid.
You can watch the recorded livestream of the launch here:
