The head of Nasa has urged world leaders to take the risk of a disastrous asteroid strike seriously, lamenting that Hollywood action films have lulled us into a false sense of security
Jim Bridenstine conceded that past warnings had struggled to overcome the “giggle factor” but stressed that asteroid collisions were common.
Scientists, including from Nasa and the European Space Agency, will this week simulate the response to a catastrophic meteorite supposing that it had a one in 100 chance of hitting Earth in 2027.
“This is about ultimately protecting the only planet we know right now to host life,” Mr Bridenstine, 43, told a seminar in Maryland on planetary defence.
Since 1900 there have been three large impacts: in Tunguska, Russia, in 1908; over…