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How to Change an Asteroid's Orbit

The thought of an asteroid impacting the surface of earth is one that has been on the minds of scientists and Hollywood producers for many years. The truth is, NASA's NEO, or Near Earth Orbit program, has identified more that 5,500 asteroids with more than 1,000 of these classified as potentially hazardous to earth. The impact of one asteroid could create tsunamis of massive size or, in the event of an impact on land, could cause a semi-permanent cloud of debris that will kill the planet's vegetation first and eventually its inhabitants. However, there are two main methods scientists claim may work to change an asteroid's orbit.

Instructions

  1. Impulsive Deflectors

    • 1

      Launch high speed "bullet" projectiles into the center mass of the asteroid. This approach is simple and is based on the idea that a sudden impact of significant force will "push" the asteroid into an altered orbit. This method is also known as "kinetic deflection" and is the only method that has actually been tried. In 2005, NASA's Deep Impact spacecraft was intentionally crashed into the surface of the comet Tempel. The impact was small and barely changed the velocity of the comet, but it proved we could successfully tract and target asteroids.

    • 2

      Launch nuclear weapons to "shatter" the iron or rock core of the asteroid. The force of the explosion in a weightless atmosphere may have the effect on the asteroid that would push it away from a collision with earth. The drawback to this method is that it has never been done, so the hypothesis that the asteroid would be destroyed is a largely untested one. It is possible that such a solution would turn one large asteroid into several hundred medium-sized asteroids, or several thousand small ones.

    • 3

      Launch an explosive rocket, nuclear or otherwise, to detonate near but not on the asteroid. This solution assumes that the weightless atmosphere of space will aid in the force of the explosion "pushing" the asteroid into another direction. While the initial explosion may work to alter the asteroid's course, predicting the resultant spin and gravitational course correction may actually put the asteroid in a closer trajectory with earth on the next orbital pass.

    Slow Push Deflectors

    • 4

      Transport a large engine-type device to the asteroid. These largely conceptual devices are called ion engines. Ion engines are meant to continuously run on nuclear or solar energy and put out a weak amount of thrust to "push" the asteroid into a different orbit.

    • 5

      Bolt the ion engine to the surface of the asteroid with deep drilled holes and large beams. Since the gravity on the asteroid is going to be minimal, the weight of the device will not suffice to keep it into position.

    • 6

      Turn on the ion engine and observe any changes in the orbit of the asteroid. The drawback of the slow push deflector is that for the process to work, it could take years to significantly alter the asteroid's course. There are many variations of the slow push deflectors, each as untested as the other using these methods, however, still gives scientists several years to attempt course corrections before resorting to the desperation move of using impulsive deflectors.

    • 7

      Attach one end of a tether to the stray asteroid's core using a series of drilled holes and anchoring points. Attach the other end of the tether to an asteroid of equal size. This will, in theory, change the center of gravity of the asteroid putting the earth in danger. This is a method that is actually being endorsed by more than a few scientists. Complications arise when you think of how long the tether actually has to be in order for this to work. One wrong calculation and you will end up with two asteroids hitting earth instead of one.


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