City Tech Research Team Casts Light on Asteroid Deflection

New York City College of Technology ^ | January 26, 2011 | Unknown

[decimon]

Brooklyn, NY — So you think global warming is a big problem? What could happen if a 25-million-ton chunk of rock slammed into Earth? When something similar happened 65 million years ago, the dinosaurs and other forms of life were wiped out.

“A collision with an object of this size traveling at an estimated 30,000 to 40,000 mile per hour would be catastrophic,” according to NASA researcher and New York City College of Technology (City Tech) Associate Professor of Physics Gregory L. Matloff. His recommendation? “Either destroy the object or alter its trajectory.”

Dr. Matloff, whose research includes the best means to avert such a disaster, believes that diverting such objects is the wisest course of action. In 2029 and 2036, the asteroid Apophis (named after the Egyptian god of darkness and the void), at least 1,100 feet in diameter, 90 stories tall, and weighing an estimated 25 million tons, will make two close passes by Earth at a distance of about 22,600 miles.

“We don’t always know this far ahead of time that they’re coming,” Dr. Matloff says, “but an Apophis impact is very unlikely.” If the asteroid did hit Earth, NASA estimates, it would strike with 68,000 times the force of the atom bomb that leveled Hiroshima. A possibility also exists that when Apophis passes in 2029, heating as it approaches the sun, it could fragment or emit a tail, which would act like a rocket, unpredictably changing its course. If Apophis or its remnants enter one of two “keyholes” in space, impact might happen when it returns in 2036.

[decimon]

Rock on ping.

[Brilliant]

The smart thing to do would be to id asteroids that can be eliminated well in advance of coming anywhere near Earth, by diverting them into the Sun or some other planet’s gravitational field. Then you don’t need to worry that they might pay us a visit some day.

[freedumb2003]

12/21/2012

I hope the arks are ready... (one of the funniest dang movies ever, BTW)

[ThunderSleeps]

I think he's right. You have to alter the course of the object. Simply blowing it up a few million tons of NEO would create a few million tons of shotgun debris that would still (mostly) hit the Earth. Sure, smaller chunks are more likely to burn up in the atmosphere - but that may actually be worse. Transfers more heat and solids into the atmosphere, rather than letting them bury themselves into the ground.

The other gotcha is the sooner you start trying to deflect something, the better. The farther away the object is, the smaller the angular change in velocity you need, so the less total energy you need to put into it.

[GreenHornet]

“A collision with an object of this size traveling at an estimated 30,000 to 40,000 mile per hour would be catastrophic,”

Ya think?

[KoRn]

I’ve read that the first pass in 2029 will be so close that the pull from the Earth might alter its orbit in a way that will cause an impact when it returns in 2036.

I doubt it’s much to worry about anyway. It isn’t big enough to cause much harm, though I wouldn’t want it landing anywhere near my house or anything. :p

[hinckley buzzard]

If we ever actually do this, it will be adaptation of SDI missile defense technology developed under the initiative of President Ronald Reagan, and in the face of a solid wall of ridicule and opposition by all the brainy einsteins like those now "running" the gubmint. Thanks again, Ronnie. Without vision the people perish.

[ThunderSleeps]

The smart thing to do would be to id asteroids...

I'm sorry but, that's racist and discriminatory of you! These are simply "undocumented moons" looking for a home orbit... You can't ask them for ID, and you can't deflect them away unless and until they break a law, or vaporize a continent. They'll probably claim political asylum anyway, I hear there is a lot of gang activity out in the 'belt. You know, the carbonaceous don't get along well with the silicaceous, and no-one likes the metalics...

[saltus]

Indeed, but just how do you propose to do that?

[preacher]

This is a remote but real posibility. It will not replace replace the Left’s concern over “Manmade Global Warming” because it doesn’t fit their socialist agenda

[Brilliant]

I think the a-bomb idea is the only one that really is feasible right now. You can’t get much deflection for that, but you might not need that much on some of these asteroids. Comets might be even easier to deal with. Blast them just before they get to the Sun, and let the Sun tear them apart.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks decimon.

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