Are mirrors the best way to deflect asteroids?

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Are mirrors the best way to deflect asteroids?

New Age Vapors — 10/10/2007 2:39:45 PM (archived)

Are mirrors the best way to deflect asteroids?

NewScientist.com news service Oct. 9, 2007

*************************

A swarm of spacecraft with mirrors
focused on asteroids is the best way
to deflect them, a new study finds.
Illustration: M Vasile et al,
University of Glasgow To deflect a
20-kilometer asteroid, about the
size of the one that wiped out the
dinosaurs, it would take the
combined work of 5000 mirror
spacecraft focusing sunlight on the...

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The whole thread (53 posts)

Should humanity deflect the NEO asteroid, Apophis, prior to 2029, or should we leave it alone? - Jacob Samorodin - 10/6/2007 7:12:20 PM
- The fragments of Comet Schwassmann Wachmann 3 will be in our neighborhood in 2022 - E.P. Grondine - 10/8/2007 7:15:49 PM
- An Idea... - TAFKASE - 10/8/2007 1:57:03 PM
  - I've thought about that a lot - Buck Galaxy - 10/8/2007 3:50:48 PM
    - Let's not drop bombs on Mars just yet... - TB - 10/8/2007 5:05:55 PM
- All the posters on this thread miss the point - Buck Galaxy - 10/8/2007 3:11:26 AM
  - There's a small chance of making things worse by a failed attempt. - alcaray - 10/8/2007 9:39:40 PM
  - re: miss the point - TB - 10/8/2007 3:41:52 AM
    - Tug vs Tag - nick hoffman - 10/9/2007 3:11:33 AM
      - Maybe - TB - 10/9/2007 3:48:59 AM
    - re: miss the point - Buck Galaxy - 10/8/2007 5:12:30 AM
      - Asteroid towing - TB - 10/8/2007 6:16:37 AM
        
        Non-Periodic Comets - Un_Epi_De_Mais - 10/8/2007 9:47:44 AM
        
        Or maybe a laser would be better - Un_Epi_De_Mais - 10/8/2007 10:03:12 AM
        
        A laser would definitely be better - Un_Epi_De_Mais - 10/8/2007 10:15:17 AM
        
        What about launching a few radar wave generators into the Kuiper belt... - TAFKASE - 10/8/2007 2:03:57 PM
        
        Or one frigging big "Aricebo" dish on the back of the Moon. - TB - 10/8/2007 2:32:43 PM
        
        CAPS (the Comet and Asteroid Protection System) - E.P. - 10/8/2007 7:11:19 PM
        
        Deflection by ablation - Un_Epi_De_Mais - 10/9/2007 1:43:36 AM
        
        re: Deflection by ablation - WRJ - 10/16/2007 5:42:50 PM
        
        re: Deflection by ablation - E.P. - 10/17/2007 10:07:50 PM
        
        Deflection by Bola - Un_Epi_De_Mais - 10/17/2007 12:08:01 AM
        
        re: Deflection by Gravity Tug - Un_Epi_De_Mais - 10/10/2007 2:53:00 AM
      - re: miss the point - Chris Vancil - 10/8/2007 5:55:44 AM
        
        Except - Buck Galaxy - 10/8/2007 8:36:44 AM
        
        re: But... - Chris Vancil - 10/8/2007 9:32:49 PM
    - Transmitter - Un_Epi_De_Mais - 10/8/2007 3:48:01 AM
      - re: Transmitter - Chris Vancil - 10/8/2007 6:09:47 AM
        
        Networking's a good idea. - TB - 10/8/2007 6:20:00 AM
        
        re: Networking's a good idea. - Chris Vancil - 10/9/2007 9:07:41 AM
        
        Unfolding the dish - Buck Galaxy - 10/8/2007 8:31:40 AM
        
        "Nice to have a human on hand..." Tell me about it! (n/t) - Galileo Probe - 10/8/2007 2:35:46 PM
- Don't deflect it. Tag it. - TB - 10/6/2007 9:25:16 PM
  - re: Something a little less ambitious - Chris Vancil - 10/8/2007 9:39:00 PM
  - Oh great, then when it hits it spreads plutonium all over the earth... - A. Liberal - 10/8/2007 1:51:23 PM
  - re: Don't deflect it. Tag it. - Chris Vancil - 10/7/2007 2:02:08 AM
    - Sure. That almost goes without saying. - TB - 10/7/2007 3:07:12 AM
      - It would be cool if there was a movement to tag all the earth-crossers... - alcaray - 10/7/2007 10:49:54 PM
        
        The new astronomical parallax measurements alone would be useful. - TB - 10/7/2007 11:42:33 PM
        
        Agreed... - TB - 10/7/2007 11:37:43 PM
- Our estimate of where Apophis will pass in 2029 is highly inaccurate. - alcaray - 10/6/2007 8:21:14 PM
  - You're missing the point! - Jacob Samrodin - 10/6/2007 9:12:42 PM
    - I think that you are missing the point. - alcaray - 10/7/2007 10:45:25 PM
  - 2029 - Raoul - 10/6/2007 9:02:11 PM
    - The sky isn't falling. Alleviate the real threats to mankind. (n/t) - Bowser - 10/6/2007 10:59:24 PM
      - re: But the sky is falling! The problem is knowing when and where. - Chris Vancil - 10/7/2007 2:07:05 AM
        
        Well. - Bowser - 10/7/2007 3:33:19 AM
    - What about your grandchildren, Raoul? - Jacob Samorodin - 10/6/2007 9:17:27 PM
      - Lifespan and timespan - nick hoffman - 10/7/2007 11:09:00 AM
      - Future - Raoul - 10/7/2007 7:33:32 AM
        
        Nobody is convinced yet that 2036 will not be an impact - Jeff F - 10/7/2007 3:11:40 PM
        
        Are mirrors the best way to deflect asteroids? - New Age Vapors - 10/10/2007 2:39:45 PM
        
        Apophis composition determined - New Age Vapors - 10/12/2007 3:35:05 PM

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