Asteroids can devastate the planet in an instant – just ask the dinosaurs. Scientists at Sandia National Laboratories have now demonstrated a proof of concept method to deflect a potential Earthbound asteroid using a blast of X-rays.

Could nuclear explosions help protect Earth from destructive asteroids? That is what physicist Nathan Moore and a team of scientists are researching at the Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque.

Scientists have found nuclear weapons could actually help deflect an incoming cosmic impact — not by blowing an asteroid up, but by showering it with X-ray radiation.