Interstellar object ‘Oumuamua covered in 'thick crust of carbon-rich gunk'

Re:Interstellar object ‘Oumuamua covered in 'thick crust of ... by txmx2017 on Monday December 18, 2017 @03:41PM (#15955301)

I don’t understand this opinion. We know it’s trajectory.

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Re:Interstellar object ‘Oumuamua covered in 'thick crust of ... by rgbrenner on Monday December 18, 2017 @03:50PM (#15955377)

It's already on it's way out of the solar system: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%CA%BBOumuamua#/media/File:Oum...

Fastest object we've ever made was Juno, which went 25miles/sec (5 years to Jupiter)... this is traveling at ~30 miles/sec, and it's already getting pretty far from us: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%CA%BBOumuamua#/media/File:Oum...

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Re:Interstellar object ‘Oumuamua covered in 'thick crust of ... by avian on Monday December 18, 2017 @03:59PM (#15955457)

This paper explores the possibilities for such a mission. It’s not that far fetched technically. But realistically, I don’t think it would happen, even if the object looked more interesting than it currently does.

https://arxiv.org/abs/1711.03155

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Re:Interstellar object ‘Oumuamua covered in 'thick crust of ... by MichaelGG on Monday December 18, 2017 @05:20PM (#15956043)

Wasn't there a practical design using atomic bombs to propel a spacecraft? Alien artifact would certainly justify the budget and risk. Though if a country determined it was alien, they'd probably not share it until their craft was well on the way.

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Re:Interstellar object ‘Oumuamua covered in 'thick crust of ... by ethbro on Monday December 18, 2017 @06:22PM (#15956376)

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Orion_(nuclear_propu...

"Practical" in the sense of yes, the physics work, for the ones we know of. And assuming there was reason to quiet the Green crowd from freaking out about us launching nuclear bombs into orbit.

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Re:Interstellar object ‘Oumuamua covered in 'thick crust of ... by theandrewbailey on Monday December 18, 2017 @03:50PM (#15955367)

Knowing it's trajectory and throwing something at it fast enough are two very different things. There's no planets between here and there that we could sling-shot off of. Even if there were, we don't have anything to send out to it.

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Re:Interstellar object ‘Oumuamua covered in 'thick crust of ... by astrodust on Tuesday December 19, 2017 @12:20AM (#15957959)

You can slingshot off of anything in any direction if you can compute your exit vector correctly. A couple of loops between the Earth and Moon and you could pick up enough speed to get anywhere you want.

The trouble is computing these trajectories is pretty tricky and if you get even one manouver wrong you crater or burn up in the atmosphere.

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Re:Interstellar object ‘Oumuamua covered in 'thick crust of ... by txmx2017 on Monday December 18, 2017 @09:51PM (#15957355)

If it’s traveling too fast for us to intercept it, it’s location is irrelevant.

If our craft can accelerate fast enough to intercet it, it’s position is still irrelevant since we know it’s trajectory.

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Re:Interstellar object ‘Oumuamua covered in 'thick crust of ... by edejong on Tuesday December 19, 2017 @02:14AM (#15958367)

Hate to be grammar police, but 3x it’s -> its. Can read over it once, but the third time becomes annoying.

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