China proposes deep-impact nuclear strategy to deflect Earth-threatening asteroids

Chinese researchers propose a two-step asteroid defense strategy: first, a metal penetrator carves a 30-meter crater into an incoming asteroid; then a 3-megaton nuclear warhead detonates inside it. This method is 110 times more powerful than NASA's 2022 DART mission, potentially vaporizing 100-meter asteroids completely or deflecting larger ones.