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Nuclear One-Two Punch Could Knock Out Dangerous Asteroid — Parallax Forums

Nuclear One-Two Punch Could Knock Out Dangerous Asteroid

Ron CzapalaRon Czapala Posts: 2,418
edited 2012-11-21 01:13 in General Discussion
http://news.yahoo.com/nuclear-one-two-punch-could-knock-dangerous-asteroid-160319627.html
Destroying a dangerous asteroid with a nuclear bomb is a well-worn trope of science fiction, but it could become reality soon enough.
Scientists are developing a mission concept that would blow apart an Earth-threatening asteroid with a nuclear explosion, just like Bruce Willis and his oilmen-turned-astronaut crew did in the 1998 film "Armageddon."
But unlike in the movie, the spacecraft under development — known as the Hypervelocity Asteroid Intercept Vehicle, or HAIV — would be unmanned. It would hit the space rock twice in quick succession, with the non-nuclear first blow blasting out a crater for the nuclear bomb to explode inside, thus magnifying its asteroid-shattering power.
"Using our proposed concept, we do have a practically viable solution — a cost-effective, economically viable, technically feasible solution," study leader Bong Wie, of Iowa State University, said Wednesday (Nov. 14) at the 2012 NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) meeting in Virginia.

Comments

  • NWCCTVNWCCTV Posts: 3,629
    edited 2012-11-19 19:29
    OK, So who is going to end up paying for this one? If it is meant to save the world, would we then send a bill to all other countries and expect them to pay up?
  • kwinnkwinn Posts: 8,697
    edited 2012-11-19 22:18
    NWCCTV wrote: »
    OK, So who is going to end up paying for this one? If it is meant to save the world, would we then send a bill to all other countries and expect them to pay up?

    Dream on! More than likely some country (or countries) would demand compensation should a meteor do it some damage afterwards. After all, that meteor must have come from the asteroid you blew into little pieces.
  • jmgjmg Posts: 15,183
    edited 2012-11-20 02:13
    An interesting detail of an asteroid strike, is they will know exactly who is wearing the bulls-eye.

    Then, you can expect a political argument about whose collateral damage is the more valuable.

    That will colour any decision on changing the shape/number of entry wounds, which is really all this is talking about doing.
  • ajwardajward Posts: 1,130
    edited 2012-11-20 04:49
    Ron Czapala wrote: »
    http://news.yahoo.com/nuclear-one-two-punch-could-knock-dangerous-asteroid-160319627.html

    The problem with shattering the asteroid/comet/etc, is turning the large "bullet" into a lot of "buckshot"!

    @
  • jmgjmg Posts: 15,183
    edited 2012-11-20 10:40
    There are many possible outcomes.
    Best case scenario, is they manage to split the asteroid on the plane with least Earth intersection, and in such a way the sideways velocities imparted balance with the mass skews, to neatly give two near misses. == Best Outcome from least energy expended.

    Plenty of other things can happen : A bullet that was going to hit a low population area, could become a cone of buckshot that peppers a ring of high population areas. Countries tend to have more people on their coasts.

    Or, worst case energy outcome is to split the mass along the velocity axis, stop one half dead (but hopefully not parked for a later impact..)
    and double the velocity of the other half via conservation of momentum. Kinetic energy of the bullet is now doubled, and you added the Niuclear energy to the impact.
  • ercoerco Posts: 20,259
    edited 2012-11-20 14:36
    Hang the Asteroid, Palestine and Iran might be the Dangerous One-Two Nuclear Punch to watch out for in the foreseeable future.
  • LoopyBytelooseLoopyByteloose Posts: 12,537
    edited 2012-11-20 17:34
    Let's see.... Dec 21st. The world is going to end in about 30 days according to the Mayan calendar. I would worry too much about Bruce Willis saving the world.

    I just wonder if Parallax is going to put the Propeller 2 on sale before we all go to the hereafter.
  • ercoerco Posts: 20,259
    edited 2012-11-20 17:43
    Can they overnight Prop2s to the rescuing alien spaceship in France on Dec 20? That way Prop2 will live on elsewhere, kinda like "A Canticle for Liebowitz".

    http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/trending-now/police-prohibit-apocalypse-believers-climbing-sacred-peak-185437701.html

    Unless little Billy opens his Christmas toys early and gets to the aliens first: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=qDMidB2eWd0
  • NWCCTVNWCCTV Posts: 3,629
    edited 2012-11-20 17:57
    Or maybe Hale-Bopp will come around befor that and we can all catch a ride like the Heavens Gate cult did!!!!!

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heaven's_Gate_(religious_group)
  • ercoerco Posts: 20,259
    edited 2012-11-20 19:37
    2027 & 2044/46 look interesting: http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news018.html
  • ercoerco Posts: 20,259
    edited 2012-11-20 23:41
    New Zealand is ready to blow. Maybe those Mayans were right...
    http://news.yahoo.com/mount-doom-likely-blow-soon-201446255.html


    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-qjqep5uvI complete waste of 2.5 hours
  • LoopyBytelooseLoopyByteloose Posts: 12,537
    edited 2012-11-21 01:13
    3AM last night, earthquake rocking my bed in old Kaohsiung. Dog refuses to sleep indoors.
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