Astroid Impact Simulator (AIS)

Inspiration

The recent surge in near-Earth object (NEO) discoveries inspired us to explore the intersection of astronomy, physics, and technology. We were particularly fascinated by how organizations like NASA predict and analyze asteroid trajectories and wanted to build a tool that educates and visualizes the potential impact of space objects on Earth in an interactive and informative way.

What it does

Asteroid Impact Simulator (AIS) allows users to input or select real or hypothetical asteroid data (like size, velocity, and angle of approach), and calculates whether the asteroid will hit Earth. If an impact is likely, AIS simulates the result—showing data such as crater size, energy released, impact zone, and potential global effects. It also visualizes the trajectory and provides real-time stats using astronomical data.

How we built it

We used:

React + Vite for the frontend interface.

Tailwind CSS for styling.

Node.js for basic backend logic and physics calculations.

NASA APIs (like NEO and JPL Horizons) for real asteroid data.

Orbital mechanics formulas and physics equations to estimate impact energy, angle, and consequences.

Challenges we ran into

Translating orbital elements (like eccentricity, semi-major axis) into a 3D trajectory.

Handling real astronomical data formats (e.g. converting units and coordinates).

Estimating realistic physical consequences (e.g. explosion radius, shockwave range).

Making the UI both informative and intuitive for non-expert users.

Dealing with CORS and rate limits when querying external APIs.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

Successfully calculating whether an asteroid will hit Earth using user input and real data.

Creating a dynamic and visually engaging map simulation.

Learning and integrating real-world orbital mechanics and physics.

Making astronomy accessible and engaging for everyone.

What we learned

How to parse and apply orbital mechanics data to simulate real-world outcomes.

Using geospatial tools like Leaflet to represent Earth-impact scenarios.

Combining physics with software to create meaningful simulations.

Team collaboration across frontend, backend, and data science components.

What's next for Astroid Impact Simulator (AIS)

Integrating 3D visualizations using WebGL or Three.js.

Allowing users to simulate impacts on specific cities or countries.

Adding more detailed consequences like tsunamis or climate change effects.

Using AI to predict asteroid impact probabilities based on new data.

Deploying the project publicly so educators and students can explore space safety interactively.

Built With

• css
• html
• nasa-api
• react
• tailwind
• typescript