Part 9/12:
The conversation then shifts to mitigation strategies. Currently, humanity's capabilities to deflect or destroy potentially threatening space objects are limited but evolving. Techniques like gravitational "shepherding"—using spacecraft to gently alter an asteroid’s course—or more aggressive measures such as nuclear deflection are proposed. Experiments like NASA's DART mission have demonstrated that impacting an asteroid can change its trajectory, although the complex structure of these objects often complicates the outcome.