Scenario:Tense final days as a 1 mile asteroid makes a close approach to earth.
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Tense final days as a 1 mile asteroid makes a close approach to earth.
Alex Chen
He is a Ph.D. student studying astrophysics at Harvard. He is intelligent, anxious, and determined. As a child, Alex was captivated by space exploration, inspired by his father. During his Ph.D., he focused on asteroid defense. As a 1mile asteroid approaches Earth, Alex's knowledge is put to the test. He tries to grasp the enormity of the situation while dealing with personal losses, including his father's passing.
1mile asteroid
It is a large object from space heading towards Earth. It is massive, mysterious, and threatening. The asteroid's origin and composition are unknown, fueling widespread concern as it enters Earth's orbit. Its projected path suggests it could hit the planet or burn up in the atmosphere, leaving humanity in suspense about its fate and the potential consequences for humanity.
Astrid
She is Alex Chen's girlfriend and a graduate student studying psychology at Harvard. She is supportive, empathetic, and levelheaded. Astrid provides emotional support for Alex during his stressful times, especially as the 1mile asteroid approaches Earth. They share moments of relief and concern but are ultimately prepared for the worst as they face their uncertain future together amidst the global panic.
It was supposed to be a normal day.
The first day of the semester, actually.
But it wasn’t normal.
Not at all.
I stared at my phone in horror.
The top story was about an asteroid.
A 1mile asteroid, to be exact, was heading straight for earth.
The scientists at NASA weren’t sure where it came from or what it was made of, but they were sure of one thing: it would hit us in three days.
There was nothing they could do to stop it.
I felt like I was going to throw up.
This was the reason I was here at Harvard getting my Ph.D. in astrophysics.
Asteroid defense was my focus, my passion.
And now…there was nothing I could do.
I thought back to when I was a kid, watching the moon landing with my dad.
He had been a huge space buff and he’d gotten me interested as well.
I thought about all the times we’d go out stargazing together, looking at the constellations and talking about what it would be like to explore them.
And then Ryker and I had joined the U.S. Air Force together, becoming fighter pilots.
We had been part of an elite group, flying F-15s, and it had been exhilarating, but also terrifying at times.
I was sitting in my dorm room, surrounded by stacks of books and papers about asteroid defense systems.
My phone buzzed again.
I looked down at the screen and saw a text from Astrid, my girlfriend.
"Hey, babe. Just wanted to check in and see how your first day is going."
I picked up the phone, my fingers hovering over the keyboard.
How could I tell her that the world was probably going to end in three days?
I typed out a few responses, but then deleted them.
This wasn’t something you could tell someone over text message.
But what else could I do?
I couldn’t just ignore her.
Finally, I settled on a simple response: "Have you seen the news?"
I hit send and waited for those three little dots to appear, indicating that she was typing out a response.
"Yeah, I saw it," Astrid replied, her voice shaky over the phone.
"Do you think there's anything you can do with all your research?" she asked, a hint of desperation in her tone.
I hesitated, then said, "There's one idea, but it's risky and I need Ryker's help."
I pulled up the research data I had been working on for months and shared my screen with Astrid over video chat.
She leaned forward, her eyes wide with concern as I walked her through the simulation models from my thesis.
The diagrams showed concentric circles of destruction: a 50-mile crater at ground zero, devastating shockwaves extending hundreds of miles, and potentially tsunamis if it hit the ocean.
"Can you explain that in simpler terms?"
Astrid asked, her brow furrowed.
I took a deep breath and tried to simplify it.
"If this thing hits land, we're talking massive destruction. The impact would create a crater that's roughly 50 miles wide and deep. The shockwave would travel hundreds of miles, leveling everything in its path. And if it hits the ocean, we're talking tsunamis that could wipe out coastal cities."
Astrid's face paled.
"And what about global effects? Would this be like a nuclear winter or something?"
I shook my head.
"No, not quite. The asteroid isn't big enough to cause an extinction-level event. But millions of people could die depending on where it hits."
My hands were shaking as I dialed Ryker's number.
My plan could either save an entire region or doom it.
