HAARP Hit An Asteroid With 9.6 Million Radio Waves – Apophis Preparedness?

Scientists at the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) and NASA want to examine space rock 2010 XC15 to test its preparedness against Apophis. This dangerous asteroid could hit our planet in 2029. It is believed that on April 13, 2029 Apophis will be 10 times closer to Earth than to the moon.

The researchers used HAARP (High-frequency Active Auroral Research Program) to fire 9.6 megahertz radio waves at the 500-foot-wide asteroid 2010 XC15.

HAARP is a government-funded research program that generally studies the ionosphere (part of Earth’s atmosphere 50 to 400 miles above the surface). However, this will be the first time it has been used to examine an asteroid.

Astronomers have fired radio waves into space to detect asteroids; discover its shape, trajectory, surface structure and many other characteristics. For this, they use radio waves with frequency ranges in the S band (2,000 to 4,000 MHz) or in the X band (8,000 to 12,000 MHz).

Interestingly, to probe 2010 XC15, the researchers are using much lower frequency waves (9.6 MHz) and longer wavelengths because, this time, they don’t just want to explore the asteroid’s surface. They want to know what’s inside.

Information about the interiors could reveal important details about the damage an asteroid can cause and help scientists figure out an effective counter-strategy.

Flashback: On December 27th the distance between the 2010 XC15 and the Earth will be about twice the distance between the Earth and the moon. HAARP will be firing 9.6 million radio waves every second at this distance and this process will be repeated every two seconds. This test is crucial because researchers can successfully scan the 2010 XC15 using low-frequency radio waves at such a long distance. Then they could easily employ the same method to analyze Apophis.

While the asteroid of 2029 is more likely to hit Earth, if it does, the consequences could be catastrophic.

For example, in response to an FAQ exploring the possibility of Apophis hitting Earth, The Planetary Society wrote on its website: “Apophis would cause widespread destruction up to several hundred kilometers from its impact site. The energy released would be equal to over 1,000 megatons of TNT, or tens to hundreds of nuclear weapons.”

Also Apophis is just an asteroid. There will be many asteroids that will pass or could hit Earth in the future. Low-frequency radio waves could play a key role in understanding the composition of these mysterious space objects and at the same time help us strengthen our planetary defense mechanism.

However, before all that happens, HAARP and its low-frequency radio waves will have to undergo its first test, which actually took place on December 27th.

If the experiment worked, the pulses reached the asteroid 2010 XC15, which passed Earth on December 27 at a distance of 765,900 km.

NASA and University of Alaska researchers sent shortwave radio signals to 2010 XC15 to probe the asteroid’s interior. They are still awaiting confirmation that the reflections were received, as expected for antenna arrays in California and New Mexico.

They say the 2029 Apophis asteroid is more likely to miss Earth, but the fact that they performed this first test indicates they are not 100% sure whether it will hit Earth or not.

Also interesting is that they want to know what’s inside asteroids, like Apophis but what will happen if they discover that the interior of an asteroid is made of advanced technology, a hollow spacecraft built by aliens and disguised as an asteroid, like the infamous rock space ‘Oumuamua’.