What if the asteroid shattered, turning a cosmic sniper shot into a shotgun blast of debris raining down over our planet? “Planetary defense represents a scientific challenge,” said Karl-Georg Schlesinger, cofounder of nuclear deflection startup Outer Solar System Company (OuSoCo), which partnered with the scientists, in a statement. The finding could have major implications for how we approach future asteroid redirection efforts. “Our experiments indicate that — at least for metal-rich asteroid material — a larger device than previously thought can be used without catastrophically breaking the asteroid,” Bochmann said. “As a next step, we plan to study more complex and rocky asteroid materials,” the researchers said in a statement.