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The science of averting disasters. From asteroid impacts to severe storms due to climate change, NASA is on the case

Illustration of NASA’s DART spacecraft and the Italian Space Agency’s (ASI) LICIACube prior to impact at the Didymos binary system.Photo: NASA/Johns Hopkins APL/Steve Gribben
Illustration of NASA’s DART spacecraft and the Italian Space Agency’s (ASI) LICIACube prior to impact at the Didymos binary system.Photo: NASA/Johns Hopkins APL/Steve Gribben

As Florida prepares for Hurricane Ian, NASA is hoping to deflect another natural disaster -- an asteroid.

The agency successfully crashed a spacecraft into a space rock some seven million miles away. And while this asteroid is no threat to Earth, what scientists learn from this cosmic collision could help us better prepare to avert a future strike. We’ll talk with NASA’s head of science Thomas Zurbucan about the agency's efforts to ward off asteroids.

Then, climate change is increasing the frequency and severity of storms. As all eyes are on Hurricane Ian off Florida’s Gulf coast, NASA is keeping a watchful eye on the weather from above. We’ll revisit a conversation about NASA’s efforts to study climate change from above and its impact here on Earth.

Brendan Byrne is Central Florida Public Media's Assistant News Director, managing the day-to-day operations of the newsroom, editing daily news stories, and managing the organization's internship program. Byrne also hosts Central Florida Public Media's weekly radio show and podcast "Are We There Yet?" which explores human space exploration, and the weekly news roundup podcast "The Wrap."