Asteroid Detection and Impact Preparedness

Clark Chapman, a space scientist, emphasizes the need to reassess asteroid threats, especially smaller ones, which can now be detected as they approach Earth. He highlights the importance of warning systems that can provide days or weeks of notice, allowing for evacuation and potentially saving lives. The video discusses the potential impact of an asteroid on San Francisco and the necessity for emergency management teams to prepare for such events. With advanced planning, thousands or even millions of lives could be saved.

What has Clark Chapman and his colleagues been primarily concerned about in the past decade?

• Asteroids larger than 1 kilometer

• Meteor showers

• Asteroids smaller than 1 kilometer

• Comets approaching Earth

What is the main focus of the new approach to asteroid threats?

• Detecting smaller asteroids

• Building larger telescopes

• Ignoring smaller asteroids

• Only focusing on comets

What is the 'death plunge' in the context of asteroid detection?

• A new method of asteroid deflection

• A simulation of asteroid impacts

• The final approach of an asteroid towards Earth

• A type of telescope used for asteroid detection

In the hypothetical scenario, what is the size of the asteroid heading towards San Francisco?

• 10 meters

• 20 meters

• 30 meters

• 40 meters

What is the potential impact of a 30-meter asteroid on San Francisco?

• No significant impact

• Destruction of everything north of Market Street

• Minor damage to buildings

• Only damage to bridges

What do scientists believe emergency management teams should prepare for?

• Nuclear threats

• Only natural disasters like earthquakes

• Asteroid threats like any other disaster

• Alien invasions

Since when has Earth been impacted by asteroids?

• The birth of the solar system

• The last millennium

• The last decade

• The last century

What have we learned from TC3 about small asteroids?

• They can be detected with days or weeks of warning

• They are harmless

• They can be detected with weeks of warning

• They cannot be detected

What is the benefit of advanced planning for asteroid impacts?

• It can prevent all asteroid impacts

• It can save thousands or millions of lives

• It can make asteroids change direction

• It can stop asteroids from forming

How far should people evacuate to be safe from an asteroid impact?

• 200 miles

• 100 miles

• 50 miles

• 10 miles