Our descendants will likely need to deflect an asteroid in the future. While no threat exists for at least the next century, experts are exploring nuclear detonation near an asteroid to divert it. This method vaporizes part of the asteroid, creating a plume that acts like a rocket engine. Testing this in space is challenging, so researchers used the “Z Machine” in New Mexico to simulate the scenario. Although NASA has proven spacecraft can nudge asteroids, a nuclear blast might be necessary for larger threats or limited timeframes. This research, led by Nathan Moore, is published in Nature Physics.