Posted on 01/04/2019 9:54:44 AM PST by LouieFisk
DART's target Didymos was chosen based on very different criteria. It's a binary asteroid, which means DART can slam into the smaller object of the pair. But scientists can gather robust data about the bodies and their locations from Earth, which will help them track where to target the car-size spacecraft as well as how much the collision knocked the object off course.
(Excerpt) Read more at space.com ...
The laws of physics are written in stone.
The laws of unintended consequences are not................
IBU
Only if the asteroid lands in the water.
Aim it right for the house of representatives
Actually, “humanity” won’t do squat.
America will.
Mr. Prosser: "Mr. Dent. Do you know how much damage this asteroid will suffer if I send a spacecraft to slam straight into it?"
Arthur Dent: "No. How much?"
Mr. Prosser: "None at all."
And its’ new trajectory will send it where?
Imagine the irony if it went into an elongated orbit that was no danger for a hundred years, totally forgotten about, then it would suddenly reappear and on a collision course with Earth................
We’ve done this before. On July 4, 2005, “Deep Impact” smacked into comet Tempei 1.
It was roughly comparable to a hummingbird colliding with an aircraft carrier.
California I hope!
“On July 4, 2005, “Deep Impact” smacked into comet Tempei 1.”
—
I dunno if it had the same objective here, though - to assess the possibility of deflecting an earth-threatening object.
I remember the first unmanned shots at the Moon back in the 60s, they just crashed those suckers right into it. Got those cool black and white photos with the little “crosshairs” on them sent back before the big smashups.
“Nice little planet you got here. Be ashamed if some asteroid slammed into it in about thirty years. Why not give me some money each week and I’ll make sure nothing happens in thirty years.”
Besides that, we have just a small talent for war.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ck3Gw_yDTMU
Instead of a slam and hope, make a planned soft contact and have an engine fire to nudge the object into a different track, away from Earth.
Ooops, wrong link - unless you speaka de Russki!
Here ya go -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbT1fCHOjfI
Just what I was thinking: What could POSSIBLY go wrong?
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