How would Budapest react to huge meteorite infall?
Holes as big as a house, broken windows, injured people and severe damages. These are the leftovers of a meteorite infall as it turns out from a latest published university thesis written by Tamás Danszky-Igaz from the University of Public Service, Budapest. The Hungarian student wrote his MSc thesis about what would the capital do if an actual meteorite infall happened in the city.
Read alsoStunning photo of Budapest from the International Space Station
According to csillagaszat.hu, recent studies revealed that smaller and bigger meteorites hit the surface of the Earth in many locations more and more often. Most of these objects perish while it passes the planet’s atmosphere but in every year meteorites bigger than one meter are registered at some places and the damage those cause.
Tamás Danszky-Igaz’s thesis work envisages that a six-meter wide massive meteorite hits Budapest. Its speed and structure (rock and metal) cause severe damages in the city. What can the capital do?
The impact crater is approximately 160 meters deep; all the houses suffer damages with broken windows and walls, and the dust and rock covering the area make the work of the rescue teams harder. There is no water, electricity and telecommunication in the whole area and many residents are left without a home. It is the Hungarian Disaster Management’s task to handle the destruction, which shows that their duties not only cover putting out a fire and saving stuck cars and people after heavy storms.
It is currently difficult to determine the infall of such a colossal object from outer space, and avoiding it is merely impossible. How can the city prepare for a possible incident like this and educate the residents?
Dankszky reflected on the problem that there is no connection between the Hungarian authorities and the Hungarian Astrological Centre, and there is no plan for an incident like this. Even if it is an imaginary incident, there is no scientific proof that an infall of a massive meteorite in any cities on Earth is impossible. Dankszky closed down his thesis work by concluding that the solving of a problem like this would not be unthinkable if the Hungarian Disaster Management would make any efforts to study precautions and techniques.
Hungary aims to send an astronaut to International Space Station
Hungary continues to work to send an astronaut to the International Space Station (ISS), Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said on Friday, at a videoconference of ministers in charge of space affairs. The meeting was organised by the Council of the European Union and focused on the role of space research and space-based services in offsetting the crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
Source: www.csillagaszat.hu
