Blocking space killer
An asteroid hit the Earth, this is sci-fi movie scene do? In fact, many times a year, large meteorite exploded in the higher latitudes, releasing about an atomic bomb of energy. The most spectacular one beginning in June 6, 2002, between Libya and Crete, Greece over the Mediterranean Sea, "Heaven and Earth collision," the power is equal to two atomic bomb! If it falls as early as three and a half hours, you may fall --- in Kashmir between India and Pakistan region. Handled well, an asteroid exploded two nuclear states will make the misconception that the other side fired an atomic bomb, thus triggering a nuclear war!
In 1998, Congress ordered the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) selected out of more than 1 kilometer in diameter near-Earth asteroids, they have to destroy most life on Earth is suspect. Such an asteroid on Earth than the total power of the existing nuclear arsenals,Shade sail even a hundred times or even thousands of times higher. It will blast the sky Raising the millions of tons of dust for several years to cover up the sun's rays. At that time, large areas of crops die, the global outbreak of famine.
If people find an asteroid hit the Earth head-on to, then how to do this? In general, there are two kinds of situation may be clear, it can take two different solutions. One is 15 years ahead of us, 20 or even 30 years found a threat. Such clear circumstances, as long as the help of asteroids nasty sinking, "a hand" on it. We can follow the movement in the direction of the asteroid it is a push to expand its track, or the contrary, we let the brakes, reduce its orbit. Therefore, the 10 years or 20 years are required to impose an asteroid strengths, while the size of this force is only now hold up the force required for a dictionary almost. Sunlight can help in this busy, if the side of 10,000 square meters of solar sail tied to the asteroid, the projection above the sun can generate sustained pressure. The problem is, we do not know how to make such a large solar sail. In addition, scientists have to address how to sail tied to the asteroid problem.
The other is we went to was only last-minute warning, you must use the "strike out" method. In 1968, Massachusetts Institute of Technology students who had recommended thenike shoes use of a nuclear bomb or a number of stars to promote an asteroid named Icarus. Today, it is still one of the most viable solution because it is through the existing scientific and technological. But "strike out" there are still two major problems. First of all, it is difficult to determine whether the asteroid will be sent to a safe orbit. Second, most of the asteroid may not be a homogeneous block combination, but the adhesion between a pile of cinder gravel is not close. Shock may make matters worse: dangerous asteroids are divided into a dozen large stones, simply can not rounded up one by one.
Can rest assured that the world's space agencies are working together from now to 2020, the two methods will be tested.
|