All the flying Super Heroes can hang up their capes. They will no longer be called on in the case of an asteroid on a collision course with earth. Amidst the other scenarios on how to save this earth from another cataclysmic disaster that killed off the dinosaurs, there is one that is quite plausible.
This September at the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics SPACE 2009 Conference and Exposition in Pasadena, CA, the "Trajectory Diversion of an Earth-Threatening Asteroid via Elastic, Massive Tether-Ballast System," will be presented by David French and Andre Mazzoleni.
David French explains, "You change the object's center of mass, effectively changing the object's orbit and allowing it to pass by the Earth, rather than impacting it."
How? You may ask.
"Using a tether somewhere between 1,000 kilometers to 100,000 kilometers to divert an asteroid sounds extreme. But compare it to other schemes. They are all pretty far out," French says.
This is just another great idea that came from North Carolina.
This September at the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics SPACE 2009 Conference and Exposition in Pasadena, CA, the "Trajectory Diversion of an Earth-Threatening Asteroid via Elastic, Massive Tether-Ballast System," will be presented by David French and Andre Mazzoleni.
David French explains, "You change the object's center of mass, effectively changing the object's orbit and allowing it to pass by the Earth, rather than impacting it."
How? You may ask.
"Using a tether somewhere between 1,000 kilometers to 100,000 kilometers to divert an asteroid sounds extreme. But compare it to other schemes. They are all pretty far out," French says.
This is just another great idea that came from North Carolina.
Adapted from materials from:
North Carolina State University (2009, April 20). How To Deflect Asteroids And Save Earth. ScienceDaily. Retrieved April 21, 2009, from http://www.sciencedaily.com /releases/2009/04/090416125212.htm
No comments:
Post a Comment