In this episode, we’re chatting about those pesky planetary neighbors and dinosaur killers, asteroids. Since Bruce Willis wasn’t available, we’ll hear from two local scientists specializing in asteroid orbits and dynamics, as well as what it might take to deflect an asteroid and how NASA plans to test it.

Dr. Daniel Scheeres is a Distinguished Professor of Aerospace Engineering at CU, specializing in astrodynamics and satellite navigation. Dr. Scheeres has also done work for JPL and received awards from NASA for his group’s work on an asteroid redirection mission concept. He is the recipient of numerous awards for publications on astrodynamics. In fact, he is so recognized in the field that he has an asteroid named after him!

Kya Sorli is a current Ph.D. student in astrophysics & planetary science at CU Boulder. Her research spans planetary defense, small-bodies and astrobiology, including work on how to stop asteroids and comets from hitting the Earth with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s Planetary Defense team. Kya is now working for NASA’s Janus mission, focusing on thermal modeling of binary asteroid systems in an attempt to learn about their past and present.