Defending the Earth From A Killer Asteriod

Guestion for all of you out there. Can ground based ICBM's achieve escape velocity to put thier warheads in the path of an incomming asteriod? Or it it all just Hollywood. Would they have to be spaced based?

I think that even if a ICBM could not make it far enough they could always outfit a nasa or russian rocket with a nuclear warhead that could make it. I think it also depends on how far out you want to hit it the farther the better. But hitting it with a nuke like in the movies might not be the best thing to do you could turn a asteriod from a single bullet into buckshot which could be worst. I think a stand off blast would be your best bet just to change its course not to destroy it. Scientist have thought up some interesting ways to stop a asteriod but none of them are operational or even close to being a option. a nuke is the only chance we would have if a asteriod was heading for earth.

At least escaping from earth's gravity would require adding one stage more.


Depending object's size it would require nuking years before impact to change orbit enough. It and destroying object would require knowing its composition which varies from loose "pile of gravel" to iron ball.
Also if its destroyed that should be done much before impact or otherwise we could get real "meteorite shower" spreading destruction to larger area than one hit... or closer to earth it should be vaporised completely.

If colliding object would be noticed enough in advance there would be other ways.


www.space.com...


Nice calculator about effects of impacts and their energies.
www.lpl.arizona.edu...

I dont the the Object might be to Actually hit it I think it might be Maybe to Detonate close enought that the Shock waves would Slow it long enough for earth to bas out of Trajectory OR to change its flight path altogether hitting would be Near impossible.....But detonateing near an Astroid... might work.....MAYBE.....Any one ever thought Of Nucler Space mines,,,,,Placed Strategically placed well out of or orbit that would expolode only upon Major Impact and A **kill switch** in case one decised to Float back toward earth.....think of it as an Asteroid safty net?

What shock wave? I thought you needed an appreciable atmosphere to have a shock wave

Maybe it would be best to simply attach some sort of jets to the asteroid and simply push it in a different direction. I mean, we already know they have landed space probes on asteroids - so maybe those probes can be equipped with jets and the ability to affix to the asteroid and just push them (or propell them) in another direction. Though I'm sure we still have to be very careful where we push it to - missing the earth but hitting six other asteroids and knocking them toward us would of course be a problem.

Any thoughts? Is this a possibility?

If our missles dont work...I say we have Bruce Willis on standby...just in case

Originally posted by Truth_Hunter_1976
I dont the the Object might be to Actually hit it I think it might be Maybe to Detonate close enought that the Shock waves would Slow it long enough for earth to bas out of Trajectory OR to change its flight path altogether hitting would be Near impossible.....But detonateing near an Astroid... might work.....MAYBE

All these require knowledge object's composition.

And with any bigger object energy needed to change its course enough would be huge if it wasn't done years ahead collision, remember that impact explosion's energy comes entirely from kinetic energy. (which dwarfs even bigest thermonuclear bombs... or world's entire nuclear weapon arsenal)

Yeah, in space there isn't any matter in which shockwave could go... or even form. Shockwave is "secondary" effect/consequence when bomb's radiation heats air (and other matter) inside a fireball to millions of degrees which causes rapid increase of pressure.
But explosion still causes radiation pressure which would push object.

Originally posted by badkitty
Maybe it would be best to simply attach some sort of jets to the asteroid and simply push it in a different direction. I mean, we already know they have landed space probes on asteroids - so maybe those probes can be equipped with jets and the ability to affix to the asteroid and just push them (or propell them) in another direction.

Would be possible, but considering power of rocket motors (and amount of fuel with them) we could launch in probes it should be done years before calculated collision... more closer to ten than one year.

But there really isn't tested technology for landing to low gravity objects. (NEAR wasn't really designed for that, it was just "bonus objective" after main mission)

So there would be really need to take out some money from Bush's Crusades to develope these technologies.

Yea you think alot more money would go into making these things a reality. Also I would like to see more people scanning the skies for these killers floating out there more then the small amount they have now. I would not mind my tax dollars going for something like that. Its not a matter of if this happens its a matter of when. The way things are going we might get some small warning and are only hope will be the nuke option and to pray it works.

Actually deflecting asteroids is much easier because their orbits which are "stable" and in inner solar system.

Comets are much worse, their orbits are such that they'll give only couple years warning time at most.
Also their speed is much higher. (and kinetic energy rises to square of speed)
So for comets "high energy solutions" would be mandatory.

Originally posted by ShadowXIX
Yea you think alot more money would go into making these things a reality. Also I would like to see more people scanning the skies for these killers floating out there more then the small amount they have now. I would not mind my tax dollars going for something like that.

I agree. As much as I think the UN is useless, this would be a good project for it to coordinate. I would have no problem spending tax dollars as well.

Originally posted by E_T
Actually deflecting asteroids is much easier because their orbits which are "stable" and in inner solar system.

Comets are much worse, their orbits are such that they'll give only couple years warning time at most.
Also their speed is much higher. (and kinetic energy rises to square of speed)
So for comets "high energy solutions" would be mandatory.

So obviously my idea of planting jets to propell them away wouldn't work here would it? So what would it take to safely deflect a comet - without blowing it to bits that would hit us anyway?

Blowing up a Nuke several hundred feet to the left or right of the astriod would be your best bet.

A popular idea witch I hate is, To put several dozens of digging machines on one side of the asteroid and they would basically spit/or shoot out smaller chunks of rock there for making the astroid smaller and at the same time a couple dozen of those devices would be the propulsion to move the astroid on a different course.

The mian reason I don't like this idea is we will inhabit space its only a matter of time, so I would prefer we don't fill it with more space debris.

Originally posted by Murcielago
A popular idea witch I hate is, To put several dozens of digging machines on one side of the asteroid and they would basically spit/or shoot out smaller chunks of rock there for making the astroid smaller and at the same time a couple dozen of those devices would be the propulsion to move the astroid on a different course.

Other version is to use big mirror like magnifying glass to heat one point of object.

Originally posted by E_T
[Other version is to use big mirror like magnifying glass to heat one point of object.

It seems that the solar sail idea is the most doable. But most of the approaches assume a good measure of time to make it work. The short term approaach seems to favor some type of Thermonuclear device to push it off course.

Could the mirror cause a stress point and cause it to break apart?

Originally posted by FredT
Could the mirror cause a stress point and cause it to break apart?

I don't think it could cause so rapid vaporation of material which would be enough to cause explosion of it.
But of course it varies basing on material of target, if it's solid iron ball then you can treat it very "harshly" compared to loose pile of gravel. (density of one asteroid is smaller than water)
Well, comets would be problematic for this method because short warning time but it's same for all methods.

Blasting it with other asteroids or some crazy weapon, or even docking with it and attatching an engine on it given its not tumbling wildly might push if away. Building a "space elevator" like tower could make the asteroid easier to work with. If the thing is metallic a large magnetic field might push it enough to get off the collison course.

Originally posted by jrod
If the thing is metallic a large magnetic field might push it enough to get off the collison course.

It would be even harder to great strong enough magnetic field than push it with rocket motor or these other methods.

Originally posted by jrod
Blasting it with other asteroids or some crazy weapon, or even docking with it and attatching an engine on it given its not tumbling wildly might push if away. Building a "space elevator" like tower could make the asteroid easier to work with. If the thing is metallic a large magnetic field might push it enough to get off the collison course.

Could this be done by remote though? and could we loft up enough material?. If push comes to shove, and all the nations of the world work together to save our collective bacon you never know. How could we generate a magnet field large enough to deflect a big asteriod?