how with current or near future tech could we stop a 2 mile diameter asteroid heading for earth with

nukes what kinda yield would you need. lasers what kinda of power out put. kinetic energy weapons how would we use them.

Sonic output energy emitters located stratigically in a cube formation surrounding the Earth. energy source placed with orbit of Earth or on Moon. Aim them at asteriod or INCOMMING THEN ACTIVATE. Energy source from solar power mainly and ion injection to increase power. Incomming object can be deflected or destroyed like kidney stones.... OR EARTH INHABITANTS CAN GATHER AND BEHAVE AND THE POSITIVIE ENERGY WOULD FORCE THEM TO REPEL as the are positivley charged.

Good question S&F
2nd

reply to post by proteus33


Remember the Newtonian principle that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction..?


Force it off course with either an explosion or as Arthur C. Clarke's stated in his book Lucifer's Hammer, get something big near the object that has enough gravity to pull it off course...


And don't forget, we may have something in the 'back room' that can take care of it just fine...

or we could just send Bruce Willis to solve the problem for us...

I had to post this sry mate

It may be more helpful if you try to establish the speed and location of the asteroid.

For example.

Is it within years or days of hitting earth?

Is it traveling 15k miles per hour or 60k miles per hour?

Is it mainly iron, or is it an aggregate of smaller rocks?

These questions being somewhat answered will help provide a more in depth and realistic answer to your scenario.

Most of these questions will have been answered when such an event is going to take place.

I've read ideas about pointing mirrors at asteroids, strapping rockets to them, letting nano-bots munch on them, use gravity to pull them off course, but the long short of it is we most likely wouldn't be able to stop an asteroid of that size from hitting the earth, which is why World Governments have been building underground cities for decades.
These facilities are capable of growing crops, recycling water, generating electricity, and housing thousands. They aren't going to bother stopping an asteroid when its easier to just duck. Albeit, ducking 4 miles under the earth, but ducking none the less.

reply to post by Mactire


You successfully and eloquently just kicked all those with hope directly in the nuts.. Kudos.

It sucks that power elite will escape to spread their corruption in the world to come...

reply to post by snowen20

I'm just a hard realist. There's no escaping the truth that the elite have been wanting to prune the human race down to size for some time now, what's better than a heaping falling rock?

reply to post by Mactire


No kidding right?
Yeah I assume that all those vaults and "doomsday" shelters are for that kind of thing, and nothing less that that.

One of the things I have been trying to find is if they are all built and made to the same specifications, and located in similar geographical areas. I figured that if one could figure that out you might be able to determine more precisely what they expect and when they expect it.

On the main topic though. I don't know if you would be able to use nukes to deflect an incoming asteroid anyway. With the way society is right now making a plan too launch nukes is probably a no go.
Every country is so paranoid about the others secret technology that they would probably assume the asteroid was a hoax of some kind even if they could confirm its existence.

why stop it? why not apply brakes on it then direct it so that it orbits around Earth then once it slows down, divert it to either the L1 or L4/L5 Lagrangian points between the Earth and Moon?

raw materials for the ships we intend to build, comprende?

Originally posted by Spartannic
or we could just send Bruce Willis to solve the problem for us...

I had to post this sry mate

Actually the best plan I have heard yet. The sonic emitter one was a laugh. There is no way to transmit sonic energy through the vacuum of space. If you could get a crew to land on the asteroid, drill several holes in planned locations and then detonate hydrogen bombs in the correct sequence, you might be able to either split an asteroid into small enough pieces to deal with by other means or to change it's course enough to miss the planet.

reply to post by snowen20


A nuke would do little except (to quote Hollywood) "turn one falling object into dozens". Any other approach would take so much time to coordinate and launch, that their effects would likely be nill. Its sad, but if a meteor was spotted, and we had 2 years to prepare, the government would spend the next 729 days stocking their facilities with food, seeds, animals, water, fuel, and all the "priceless collectibles" they could get their hands on, and all silently, never alerting the public. Anyone trying to talk would be silenced.
We wouldn't know a meteor was coming until its shadow fell over our heads. Hopefully you'd be on the short list to get into one of these bunkers by knowing the right people, but like me, if you're lucky or unlucky enough to survive the strike you get to live in a dark, dying world with brown skies and dust filled air.

On the upside, the world would likely begin a rebound within a few years. The darkness wouldn't last too long, and if you survived the impact and were able to protect your lungs from the dust filled air, you'd likely live out the rest of your life, provided you know a bit about gardening, hunting, and are a creative scavenger.

On a scary note, Bill Gates has already moved his priceless art and photograph collections into Bunkers. Not saying what that means, but...

reply to post by Mactire


Yeah I have both read the book and scene the movie "The Road"...No thanks...No thanks.


I was under the impression that if nukes could be use they would not be used to actually blast it, but detonate near it close enough to just nudge it away. A sequence of explosives used in this way daisy chained if you will would all continue to push it away until its course was altered enough that it would not be an immediate threat...
I say immediate because like the gross band aid in the swimming pool, the more you push it away the more it wants to keep coming for you. lol

On a side note, I would love it if the elite went into their bunkers which hopefully are some kind of "time locked" facility, and the asteroid never actually hit. 20 years later they emerge and we run the show now. LOL Priceless.

reply to post by snowen20

I guess that depends on the mass of the asteroid, and the time before impact, and the speed at which the asteroid was traveling. An explosion close enough to push an asteroid may also fracture it.

First who is in charge of america at the time this decision is being made...

It determines the price I charge for my advice? My time is not free and if I choose to spend it saving the world they can pay out the nose...

It doesnt have to just be cash... I will accept an unlimited monopoly for the company I form that produces the tech necessary...

It can be done in less then six months with unlimited resources... Limited Id say two to three years.....

The asteroid can be stopped in orbit and stripped mined... all with technology that exist now.. The powers that be are just idiots and have missed a synthesis of technology.

reply to post by ripcontrol


I tend to believe we are boned.
I guess if it is going to impact in 3 months your boned too, that synthesis wasn't as great as we thought. sucks huh?

Our earth is nothing move than a vehicle to ride on zipping along 1200 miles per hour.
Lets put nuclear rocket engines on it, time with computers, so we can move out of the way.
Better get earth insurance first in case we have a wreck

reply to post by snowen20




It could be done in three months but then it would have a lot lower odds of working....

why three months...

Circular Electromagnets, energy charged by either material made from reacting to radioactive particals in space or primary energy source Laser devices that aim at each circular segment causing them to spin? Circular in shape to increase their sound wave mimmicking movements. The Circular Electromagnets diameter can be adjusted to wide or small depending on target. This device when activated would generate massive amounts of energy, causing MEGA VIBRATIONS. These vibrations would be felt if in near location of device. They would cause the human eardrums to rumbled of whatever scientist that would be near it observing. The more energy laser stronger vibrations....UM JUST SAYEN