Loading...
Please wait, while we are loading the content...
Similar Documents
Near earth asteroid orbit perturbation and fragmentation
| Content Provider | NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS) |
|---|---|
| Author | Ahrens, Thomas J. Harris, Alan W. |
| Copyright Year | 1992 |
| Description | Collisions by near earth asteroids or the nuclei of comets pose varying levels of threat to man. A relatively small object, approximately 100 meter diameter, which might be found on an impact trajectory with a populated region of the Earth, could potentially be diverted from an Earth impacting trajectory by mass driver rocket systems. For larger bodies, such systems would appear to be beyond current technology. For any size object, nuclear explosions appear to be more efficient, using either the prompt blow-off from neutron radiation, the impulse from ejecta of near-surface explosion for deflection, or as a fragmenting charge. Practical deflections of bodies with diameters of 0.1, 1, and 10 km require interception, years to decades prior to earth encounter, with explosions a few kilotons, megatons, or gigatons, respectively, of equivalent TNT energy to achieve orbital velocity changes or destruction to a level where fragments are dispersed to harmless spatial densities. |
| File Size | 726472 |
| Page Count | 21 |
| File Format | |
| Alternate Webpage(s) | http://archive.org/details/NASA_NTRS_Archive_19920011112 |
| Archival Resource Key | ark:/13960/t86h9gd0m |
| Language | English |
| Publisher Date | 1992-03-18 |
| Access Restriction | Open |
| Subject Keyword | Astrophysics Deflection Destruction Meteoroid Hazards Fragments Trajectories Hypervelocity Impact Fragmentation Meteorite Collisions Nuclear Explosions Meteoritic Damage Ejecta Meteoroid Protection Comet Nuclei Asteroids Interception Orbit Perturbation Impact Damage Ntrs Nasa Technical Reports ServerĀ (ntrs) Nasa Technical Reports Server Aerodynamics Aircraft Aerospace Engineering Aerospace Aeronautic Space Science |
| Content Type | Text |
| Resource Type | Technical Report |