To: Little Ray
Too bad we can’t catch it and bring it into orbit for exploitation! None of the stories I was able to find on this object (designated 2014 RC) saw fit to give any estimate for its velocity with respect to Earth at the moment of its closest approach.
If, however, it is going the usual 50,000 mph for asteroids, the amount of fuel needed to capture it into Earth orbit would be (I'm guessing here) maybe a million times more than all the rocket fuel used in all the rockets ever launched from Earth.
11 posted on
09/04/2014 11:55:22 AM PDT by
Steely Tom
(How do you feel about robbing Peter's robot?)
To: Steely Tom
If, however, it is going the usual 50,000 mph for asteroids, Is it slowing down or altering direction? We could use some different news than what's been going on.
18 posted on
09/04/2014 12:16:43 PM PDT by
roadcat
To: Steely Tom
I know. We should have started a long time ago. Maybe a solar sail and a mass driver?
20 posted on
09/04/2014 12:25:13 PM PDT by
Little Ray
(How did I end up in this hand-basket, and why is it getting sI ao hot?)
To: Steely Tom
It would have made a fine candidate to try something else on it, should be easy enough to reach. Would have made a nice test bed. Problem is, these "small" objects are too hard to detect generally, until it is "too late".
That said, a direct hit by this thing would be catastrophic to a small town sized area. The equivalent of a small atomic bomb.
38 posted on
09/04/2014 1:41:53 PM PDT by
Paradox
(Unexpected things coming for the next few years.)
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