Re: Lets go get us an asteroid
- From: Alan Anderson <aranders@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 23 Aug 2005 00:47:08 GMT
stephen.colbourne@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx wrote:
> On April 13, 2029 the asteroid 99942 Apophis is due to come within
> 20,000 miles of Earth. This is an opportunity that we should grasp to
> either divert the asteroid away from a possible future collision or
> being more positive try to capture the asteroid for use to mankind.
Two problems. First, we don't yet know if a future collision will
occur, so trying blindly to "divert" it might actually cause it to hit
us later (unlikely, but possible). Second, it's going to be going
rather too fast for us to capture it using any present or near future
technology.
The best suggestion I've seen for what to do involves placing a beacon
on the asteroid so we can track it with great precision, and thereby
determine exactly when or if it might become a real impact threat. We
could also try to put the equivalent of a rover on the surface and do
lots of analysis of its composition, so we know what might be the best
way to divert it when or if that becomes desirable.
.
- References:
- Lets go get us an asteroid
- From: stephen . colbourne
- Lets go get us an asteroid
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