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OK, so how do you stop an asteroid from hitting the earth?


Quillan
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Just got up of the floor from this one.

Given recent events we now know according to a scientist just on the tele that there are around a quarter million heading towards us. When asked what can be done to avoid the bigger ones hitting the earth the answer he said was................. to paint them white!

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[quote user="Quillan"]Just got up of the floor from this one.

Given recent events we now know according to a scientist just on the tele that there are around a quarter million heading towards us. When asked what can be done to avoid the bigger ones hitting the earth the answer he said was................. to paint them white![/quote]

It's not an entirely stupid idea in theory, since by painting the asteroid white you would increase the amount of light that is reflected off it as opposed to being absorbed, and this would (very slowly) change its orbit. You'd want to be pretty damn certain that the change in orbit would take it further away from the earth rather than bringing it closer, and the earlier you graffitied it the better, but it is a better idea than exploding nuclear weapons on or near them. Anyone for shares in Dulux?

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[quote user="Pickles"][quote user="Quillan"]Just got up of the floor from this one.

Given recent events we now know according to a scientist just on the tele that there are around a quarter million heading towards us. When asked what can be done to avoid the bigger ones hitting the earth the answer he said was................. to paint them white![/quote]

It's not an entirely stupid idea in theory, since by painting the asteroid white you would increase the amount of light that is reflected off it as opposed to being absorbed, and this would (very slowly) change its orbit. You'd want to be pretty damn certain that the change in orbit would take it further away from the earth rather than bringing it closer, and the earlier you graffitied it the better, but it is a better idea than exploding nuclear weapons on or near them. Anyone for shares in Dulux.

[/quote]

So I am not the only one that watched "The One Show" then. [;-)] What can I say, spot on. The other alternative is to great a small graviton beam from some sort of space craft, pull up alongside and switch it on.

The only negative thing I can think of, not being an astrophysicist, is that you would have to do this many years before the asteroid got that near to earth as we are talking an absolutely minuscule change, perhaps just a couple of seconds of a degree.

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[quote user="Quillan"]So I am not the only one that watched "The One Show" then. [;-)] What can I say, spot on. [/quote]

Didn't see "the One Show" - been in Austria and Switzerland recently. We did these kind of thought experiments and rough calculations (many) years ago in first year physics to get a feel for the strength of forces and the like. Another one was to calculate the current between the front and back legs of a cow a certain distance away from a lightning strike.

[quote user="Quillan"]The only negative thing I can think of, not being an astrophysicist, is that you would have to do this many years before the asteroid got that near to earth as we are talking an absolutely minuscule change, perhaps just a couple of seconds of a degree.[/quote]

Yes, you are looking for a slow but cumulative effect. A similar idea lies behind the propulsion system used on some space probes: weak but continuing over a long time.

I suppose the ideal would be to have a craft that could mine the materials it needs to make the "paint" from asteroids - preferably the one it is trying to shift.

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[quote user="Frederick"]While they were watching the very big  "Near Miss "  they did not spot the not so small "Certain Hit !"  that scared the bejesus out of the Russians .  Did they ? [/quote]

Several possible responses:

"They" may well have ... but if "they" told you, "they'd" have to kill you ...

If "they" were in the US, would they really care much about a sudden demand for window glass in Russia and a new hole in the ice in a pond?

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