Well, if asteroids are the problem, perhaps the solution lies in their opposite. In which case, there's somebody who can help:
Posted on 11/17/2007 2:07:34 PM PST by blam
Deflected asteroids may keep coming back
17 November 2007
What goes around comes around. Unfortunately, no such karma figures in plans to deflect asteroids on a collision course with Earth, a hearing of the US House Science and Technology Committee was told last week. One big whack will deflect an asteroid temporarily, but does not guarantee safety next time its orbit brings it close.
Asteroid researchers have long debated the merits of deflecting asteroids with a powerful blast such as a nuclear explosion. However, Rusty Schweickart, who heads an asteroid research group called the B612 Foundation, told the committee that the effects of powerful blasts are hard to predict, especially if Earth's gravitational pull acts on the object. An asteroid could pass through one of the "keyholes" that would nudge it back onto a collision course, so once diverted it might need to be steered past Earth to prevent this.
(Excerpt) Read more at space.newscientist.com ...
Ion motors, eh? based on what I have read, they slowly increase their thrust (the current systems do anyway). So, the motors would have to be attached while the body is far, far out.
Why not just teleport it then? :-)
Or we could follow Ralph Kramden’s advice, “to the moon!” and have a better view of the crash.
Asteroids are mostly made of coal. We need to figure out how to get the coal to land on Earth in nice piles.
There is no atmosphere in space so there is nothing that conducts kinetic force to the object...a nuke unless buried in an offending asteroid would simply be an instant flash of intense light ...then nothing! The exposed asteroid might melt into vapor if it was small enough but only be singed on the exposed side if it was very large!
There is no atmosphere in space so there is nothing that conducts kinetic force to the object...a nuke unless buried in an offending asteroid would simply be an instant flash of intense light ...then nothing! The exposed asteroid might melt into vapor if it was small enough but only be singed on the exposed side if it was very large!
I had deflected asteroids once. Had to use lots of that Preparation cream to get rid of em. What’s the big deal?
Seems to me that there are plenty of other objects in the solar system that we could aim it at. If you’re going to be altering its path anyway, might as well solve the problem permanently.
Orbital mechanics is a bitch, all right.
Well, if asteroids are the problem, perhaps the solution lies in their opposite. In which case, there's somebody who can help:
“TTTThhheeeyyy’’rrreee back!”
Every other “solution” involves intricate tricks of trying hook the asteroid, deflect it with nonexistent rockets, ion drives, nuke drives, solar sails, etc, etc, etc.
They pretend those are solutions - but NONE have been tested, nor sent into space on intercept missions.
NONE of those magic devices exist: NONE are designed, built, tested, rigged up, attached to missiles, or even of a SIZE that can be attached to rockets.
NOBODY has actually come up with a tested design to hook onto a spinning irregular mass only slightly smaller than a good sized hill EXACTLY on its center of gravity and on its axis of rotation and “pull” with some nonexistent mount, eyebolt, and pivot: all by remote control of course, and from a mission that far exceeds ANY previous manned flight.
But the same people who can’t pull a mountain in space away from its course denigrate through elaborate theories disposing of the residue of a simple H-bomb blast - that will have pulverized much/some/all of the original rock.
The problem is that these same research simply hate the idea of blowing nuclear bombs in space to protect the earth - so they are forced to come up with theorectical problems.
have to build the drive motor and mount, get it on the supper-duper-space shuttle - we have none that get to the moon, much less past Mars on an intercept, get to/past the asteroid on a path fast enough to allow slowing down/speeding up to intercept, then match orbits and “park” close enough to send manned suits down to the rock to mount the drive.....
All of the above makes going to the moon easy: since we can’t even get back to the moon right, even harder with today’s NASA attitudes and abilities.
No no no....
spel it more like this:
Dooooooooooooooooomed
Extra points for bold & italicized
Yes, it will take some time, so we better start today.
You only have an exteme overpressure where you have an atmosphere, In space you only have thermal and radiation to work with, you'd only have force if you could get a warhead into the surface.
Nobody was even thinking of NASA. The Treaty would be repealed, the asteroid would be claimed by a private company with the stipulation that it be removed from danger to earth and the company would mine it for whatever it is worth.
Put "The Negotiator" on the case!
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