Should we worry about countries landing on asteroids?

[Delta4Embassy]

Nuclear Files: Key Issues: Space Weapons: Issues: Space Weapons For Earth Wars

For over a decade, defense theorists have speculated about using asteroids as weapons. Land on an asteroid, alter it's orbit steering it into the Earth and voila, megaton-level impact event, no radiation, no fallout, massive damage blamed on a natural disaster.

The impacter over Russia's Cheylabinsk a few years back was just 17m in size and had a nuclear equivilent of about 500 kilotons (typical US ICBM MIRV warhead is about 400 kilotons.) And rocks this size are within easy reach of any spacefaring country.

India going to Venus, Mars. Exploring an asteroid on the agenda: ISRO

China developing ambitious Mars and asteroid missions

 

[Syriusly]

Nuclear Files: Key Issues: Space Weapons: Issues: Space Weapons For Earth Wars

For over a decade, defense theorists have speculated about using asteroids as weapons. Land on an asteroid, alter it's orbit steering it into the Earth and voila, megaton-level impact event, no radiation, no fallout, massive damage blamed on a natural disaster.

The impacter over Russia's Cheylabinsk a few years back was just 17m in size and had a nuclear equivilent of about 500 kilotons (typical US ICBM MIRV warhead is about 400 kilotons.) And rocks this size are within easy reach of any spacefaring country.

India going to Venus, Mars. Exploring an asteroid on the agenda: ISRO

China developing ambitious Mars and asteroid missions

If you really want to worry things that are not currently possible.

Certainly theoretically possible.

Actually accomplishing it far more complicated.

Do you spend your time worrying about random asteroids hitting earth?

 

[Delta4Embassy]

Nuclear Files: Key Issues: Space Weapons: Issues: Space Weapons For Earth Wars

For over a decade, defense theorists have speculated about using asteroids as weapons. Land on an asteroid, alter it's orbit steering it into the Earth and voila, megaton-level impact event, no radiation, no fallout, massive damage blamed on a natural disaster.

The impacter over Russia's Cheylabinsk a few years back was just 17m in size and had a nuclear equivilent of about 500 kilotons (typical US ICBM MIRV warhead is about 400 kilotons.) And rocks this size are within easy reach of any spacefaring country.

India going to Venus, Mars. Exploring an asteroid on the agenda: ISRO

China developing ambitious Mars and asteroid missions

If you really want to worry things that are not currently possible.

Certainly theoretically possible.

Actually accomplishing it far more complicated.

Do you spend your time worrying about random asteroids hitting earth?

Yes. Already happened a number of times. And a smaller one could easily be diverted into a target nation.

And yes, it's currently possible. Just landed on a comet.

http://rosetta.jpl.nasa.gov/news/touchdown-rosettas-philae-probe-lands-comet

And,

Nasa plans mission to land on asteroid and explore deep space

 

[Delta4Embassy]

Don't even need a proper asteroid. NO shortage of space junk and satellites in orbit. Go up, grab one and chuck it down into a target. Looks like a failed orbit and satellite came back to earth. Meanwhile a minivan is coming down at 25,000 mph and impacts like a small nuke.

 

[Syriusly]

Don't even need a proper asteroid. NO shortage of space junk and satellites in orbit. Go up, grab one and chuck it down into a target. Looks like a failed orbit and satellite came back to earth. Meanwhile a minivan is coming down at 25,000 mph and impacts like a small nuke.

A satelite the size of a mini- van would largely disintergrate during re-entry.

 

[Syriusly]

Nuclear Files: Key Issues: Space Weapons: Issues: Space Weapons For Earth Wars

For over a decade, defense theorists have speculated about using asteroids as weapons. Land on an asteroid, alter it's orbit steering it into the Earth and voila, megaton-level impact event, no radiation, no fallout, massive damage blamed on a natural disaster.

The impacter over Russia's Cheylabinsk a few years back was just 17m in size and had a nuclear equivilent of about 500 kilotons (typical US ICBM MIRV warhead is about 400 kilotons.) And rocks this size are within easy reach of any spacefaring country.

India going to Venus, Mars. Exploring an asteroid on the agenda: ISRO

China developing ambitious Mars and asteroid missions

If you really want to worry things that are not currently possible.

Certainly theoretically possible.

Actually accomplishing it far more complicated.

Do you spend your time worrying about random asteroids hitting earth?

Yes. Already happened a number of times. And a smaller one could easily be diverted into a target nation.

And yes, it's currently possible. Just landed on a comet.

Touchdown! Rosetta's Philae Probe Lands on Comet | Rosetta

And,

Nasa plans mission to land on asteroid and explore deep space

'easily be diverted'?

Really?

How?

Pick a size of asteroid- in metric tons- and tell us how it would easily be directed- and controlled to strike a specific destination- hell within 1,000 miles of a specific destination on earth.

 

[Delta4Embassy]

Nuclear Files: Key Issues: Space Weapons: Issues: Space Weapons For Earth Wars

For over a decade, defense theorists have speculated about using asteroids as weapons. Land on an asteroid, alter it's orbit steering it into the Earth and voila, megaton-level impact event, no radiation, no fallout, massive damage blamed on a natural disaster.

The impacter over Russia's Cheylabinsk a few years back was just 17m in size and had a nuclear equivilent of about 500 kilotons (typical US ICBM MIRV warhead is about 400 kilotons.) And rocks this size are within easy reach of any spacefaring country.

India going to Venus, Mars. Exploring an asteroid on the agenda: ISRO

China developing ambitious Mars and asteroid missions

If you really want to worry things that are not currently possible.

Certainly theoretically possible.

Actually accomplishing it far more complicated.

Do you spend your time worrying about random asteroids hitting earth?

Yes. Already happened a number of times. And a smaller one could easily be diverted into a target nation.

And yes, it's currently possible. Just landed on a comet.

Touchdown! Rosetta's Philae Probe Lands on Comet | Rosetta

And,

Nasa plans mission to land on asteroid and explore deep space

'easily be diverted'?

Really?

How?

Pick a size of asteroid- in metric tons- and tell us how it would easily be directed- and controlled to strike a specific destination- hell within 1,000 miles of a specific destination on earth.

Objects in motion don't need much force applied to change their trajectory. Ways of deflecting the big planet-killer ones already exist. A smaller one would be a lot easier. And if we can divert a planet-killer away from us, we can steer one into us too. Same principles and methods involved. Think of a swinging pendulum with some weight, can change it's arc with very little force if it's already in motion.

Every Way Devised to Deflect an Asteroid

 

[Delta4Embassy]

For a smaller one, simply attach a rocket to it. Now it's a guided missile.

 

[Syriusly]

Nuclear Files: Key Issues: Space Weapons: Issues: Space Weapons For Earth Wars

For over a decade, defense theorists have speculated about using asteroids as weapons. Land on an asteroid, alter it's orbit steering it into the Earth and voila, megaton-level impact event, no radiation, no fallout, massive damage blamed on a natural disaster.

The impacter over Russia's Cheylabinsk a few years back was just 17m in size and had a nuclear equivilent of about 500 kilotons (typical US ICBM MIRV warhead is about 400 kilotons.) And rocks this size are within easy reach of any spacefaring country.

India going to Venus, Mars. Exploring an asteroid on the agenda: ISRO

China developing ambitious Mars and asteroid missions

If you really want to worry things that are not currently possible.

Certainly theoretically possible.

Actually accomplishing it far more complicated.

Do you spend your time worrying about random asteroids hitting earth?

Yes. Already happened a number of times. And a smaller one could easily be diverted into a target nation.

And yes, it's currently possible. Just landed on a comet.

Touchdown! Rosetta's Philae Probe Lands on Comet | Rosetta

And,

Nasa plans mission to land on asteroid and explore deep space

'easily be diverted'?

Really?

How?

Pick a size of asteroid- in metric tons- and tell us how it would easily be directed- and controlled to strike a specific destination- hell within 1,000 miles of a specific destination on earth.

Objects in motion don't need much force applied to change their trajectory. Ways of deflecting the big planet-killer ones already exist. A smaller one would be a lot easier. And if we can divert a planet-killer away from us, we can steer one into us too. Same principles and methods involved. Think of a swinging pendulum with some weight, can change it's arc with very little force if it's already in motion.

Every Way Devised to Deflect an Asteroid

Still didn't answer my question.

Remember- you not only need to apply force to change a trajectory- you need to apply force to match the orbit of the earth- and then guide that asteroid to a specific trajectory so that it hits the earth where you want it to.

An asteroid you don't even know the accurate mass of.

You need energy sufficient to not only change directory- but to change the directly extremely accurately- and alter course as necessary- and the fuel necessary to do so.

 

[Delta4Embassy]

Nuclear Files: Key Issues: Space Weapons: Issues: Space Weapons For Earth Wars

For over a decade, defense theorists have speculated about using asteroids as weapons. Land on an asteroid, alter it's orbit steering it into the Earth and voila, megaton-level impact event, no radiation, no fallout, massive damage blamed on a natural disaster.

The impacter over Russia's Cheylabinsk a few years back was just 17m in size and had a nuclear equivilent of about 500 kilotons (typical US ICBM MIRV warhead is about 400 kilotons.) And rocks this size are within easy reach of any spacefaring country.

India going to Venus, Mars. Exploring an asteroid on the agenda: ISRO

China developing ambitious Mars and asteroid missions

If you really want to worry things that are not currently possible.

Certainly theoretically possible.

Actually accomplishing it far more complicated.

Do you spend your time worrying about random asteroids hitting earth?

Yes. Already happened a number of times. And a smaller one could easily be diverted into a target nation.

And yes, it's currently possible. Just landed on a comet.

Touchdown! Rosetta's Philae Probe Lands on Comet | Rosetta

And,

Nasa plans mission to land on asteroid and explore deep space

'easily be diverted'?

Really?

How?

Pick a size of asteroid- in metric tons- and tell us how it would easily be directed- and controlled to strike a specific destination- hell within 1,000 miles of a specific destination on earth.

Objects in motion don't need much force applied to change their trajectory. Ways of deflecting the big planet-killer ones already exist. A smaller one would be a lot easier. And if we can divert a planet-killer away from us, we can steer one into us too. Same principles and methods involved. Think of a swinging pendulum with some weight, can change it's arc with very little force if it's already in motion.

Every Way Devised to Deflect an Asteroid

Still didn't answer my question.

Remember- you not only need to apply force to change a trajectory- you need to apply force to match the orbit of the earth- and then guide that asteroid to a specific trajectory so that it hits the earth where you want it to.

An asteroid you don't even know the accurate mass of.

You need energy sufficient to not only change directory- but to change the directly extremely accurately- and alter course as necessary- and the fuel necessary to do so.

Not targetting a missile silo, hitting a country anywhere is good enough if big enough rock.

 

[Likkmee]

Nuclear Files: Key Issues: Space Weapons: Issues: Space Weapons For Earth Wars

For over a decade, defense theorists have speculated about using asteroids as weapons. Land on an asteroid, alter it's orbit steering it into the Earth and voila, megaton-level impact event, no radiation, no fallout, massive damage blamed on a natural disaster.

The impacter over Russia's Cheylabinsk a few years back was just 17m in size and had a nuclear equivilent of about 500 kilotons (typical US ICBM MIRV warhead is about 400 kilotons.) And rocks this size are within easy reach of any spacefaring country.

India going to Venus, Mars. Exploring an asteroid on the agenda: ISRO

China developing ambitious Mars and asteroid missions

That's nothing ! Trump is going to build a wall !!!

 

[Old Rocks]

Don't even need a proper asteroid. NO shortage of space junk and satellites in orbit. Go up, grab one and chuck it down into a target. Looks like a failed orbit and satellite came back to earth. Meanwhile a minivan is coming down at 25,000 mph and impacts like a small nuke.

Not that easy. A lot of Delta V there to cancel. And it will not be coming down at 25,000 mph. Because, in order to get it to come down, you have to cancel a significant amount of that speed. And therefore, a significant amount of the energy in the impact.

 

[Steven_R]

Don't even need a proper asteroid. NO shortage of space junk and satellites in orbit. Go up, grab one and chuck it down into a target. Looks like a failed orbit and satellite came back to earth. Meanwhile a minivan is coming down at 25,000 mph and impacts like a small nuke.

A satelite the size of a mini- van would largely disintergrate during re-entry.

A satellite might, but something like a ball or pole of solid tungsten wouldn't. Rods from God is the colloquial term for Kinetic Bombardment. Throwing up a few of those would certainly be easier than the asteroid approach if one really wanted a good non-nuke doomsday weapon.

Kinetic bombardment - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[Correll]

If another nation can land on an asteroid and alter it's orbit to intersect the Earth, they don't need to bomb US, because we are already irrelevant.

 

[Syriusly]

Don't even need a proper asteroid. NO shortage of space junk and satellites in orbit. Go up, grab one and chuck it down into a target. Looks like a failed orbit and satellite came back to earth. Meanwhile a minivan is coming down at 25,000 mph and impacts like a small nuke.

A satelite the size of a mini- van would largely disintergrate during re-entry.

A satellite might, but something like a ball or pole of solid tungsten wouldn't. Rods from God is the colloquial term for Kinetic Bombardment. Throwing up a few of those would certainly be easier than the asteroid approach if one really wanted a good non-nuke doomsday weapon.

Kinetic bombardment - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Oh certainly- I am familiar with the concept. Much simpler than trying to 'power' and 'aim' an asteroid.

 

[Delta4Embassy]

Think of how ISIS is supposedly trying to bring about the end of the world. What better way to actually cause the end of the world than steering a big planet-killer into us. Even nuclear weapons can't end the world. Rock not terribly large easily could though.

 

[Delta4Embassy]

" Over the next 6 days, 21 distinct impacts were observed, with the largest coming on July 18 at 07:33 UTC when fragment G struck Jupiter. This impact created a giant dark spot over 12,000 km across, and was estimated to have released an energy equivalent to 6,000,000 megatons of TNT (600 times the world's nuclear arsenal).[21] Two impacts 12 hours apart on July 19 created impact marks of similar size to that caused by fragment G, and impacts continued until July 22, when fragment W struck the planet.[22]

Diameter of Earth for the record is a little under 13000 km.

The comet was observed as a series of fragments ranging up to 2 km (1.2 mi) in diameter
"
How big would an asteroid need to be in order to cause human extinction? • /r/space

6 asteroids between 1 and 2 km crossing Earth's orbit around the Sun in just the next month.
SpaceWeather.com -- News and information about meteor showers, solar flares, auroras, and near-Earth asteroids