Why are these stories so attractive to filmmakers? Impact fiction is flexible enough to accommodate multiple genres, from grave character study to black comedy to old-fashioned disaster movie. NEOs are also a growing real-world concern. After a meteor exploded over Chelyabinsk in Russia on 14 February 2013, Nasa began annual asteroid impact simulations. In 2015, a group of concerned scientists, astronauts and artists led by Stephen Hawking launched Asteroid Day, a UN-backed annual event on the anniversary of Tunguska, with the aim of rapidly accelerating the tracking of NEOs and research into interception strategies.
