Re:The Worst Mistake in the History of the Human Race (1987)
by pavel_lishin on Monday August 17, 2015 @10:37PM
(#10077318)
I don't think we've invented a way to prevent catastrophic asteroid impacts yet.
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Re:The Worst Mistake in the History of the Human Race (1987)
by x3n0ph3n3 on Monday August 17, 2015 @10:46PM
(#10077341)
We've definitely designed them and done most of the difficult research. [1][2]
Even though it's not fully realized, it's an entirely likely and plausible outcome of agriculture.
[1] http://www.universetoday.com/90798/every-way-devised-to-defl...
[2] http://www.space.com/21333-asteroid-nuke-spacecraft-mission....
Re:The Worst Mistake in the History of the Human Race (1987)
by nine_k on Monday August 17, 2015 @10:51PM
(#10077359)
I suspect that detonating a few nuclear warheads at the right point relative to an asteroid would evaporate enough matter from its surface to change its course without breaking it into small uncontrollable pieces.
This is, I suppose, well within means of current space technology, provided that we have enough time, e.g. several years or at least many months, to get the rockets to the asteroid.