How to Kill an Asteroid

There are approximately 25,000 "city killer" asteroids in near-Earth orbit — and most are yet to be found. Small enough to evade detection, they are capable of large-scale destruction and represent our greatest cosmic threat. But in September 2022, against all odds, NASA's Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission deliberately crashed a spacecraft into a carefully selected city killer, altering the asteroid's orbit and proving that we stand a chance against them.

In How to Kill an Asteroid, award-winning science journalist Robin George Andrews — who was at DART mission control when it happened — reveals the development of the technology that made it possible, from spotting elusive asteroids and comets to figuring out their geologic defences and orchestrating a deflection campaign. In a propulsive narrative that reads like a sci-fi thriller, Andrews tells the story of the planetary defence movement and introduces the international team of scientists and engineers now working to protect Earth.