crayola
31-Dec-09, 15:46
Russia 'plans to stop asteroid'
The head of Russia's federal space agency has said it will work to divert an asteroid which will make several passes near the Earth from 2029.
(see BBC News story in link below for the middle bit)
Mr Perminov, who is the chief of Roscosmos, gave little detail of any plans that the agency has, but was quoted by Interfax news agency as saying that the solution would not entail the use of nuclear weapons.
Other schemes that have been put forth in the past for diverting asteroids from collision courses include spacecraft that nudge the space rocks out of their trajectory through force, or diverting them with "solar sails" that use the wind of particles ejected from the Sun.
Russia 'plans to stop asteroid' (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8435829.stm)
I like the concept of diverting them with solar sails. :cool:
How would you stop an asteroid?
The head of Russia's federal space agency has said it will work to divert an asteroid which will make several passes near the Earth from 2029.
(see BBC News story in link below for the middle bit)
Mr Perminov, who is the chief of Roscosmos, gave little detail of any plans that the agency has, but was quoted by Interfax news agency as saying that the solution would not entail the use of nuclear weapons.
Other schemes that have been put forth in the past for diverting asteroids from collision courses include spacecraft that nudge the space rocks out of their trajectory through force, or diverting them with "solar sails" that use the wind of particles ejected from the Sun.
Russia 'plans to stop asteroid' (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8435829.stm)
I like the concept of diverting them with solar sails. :cool:
How would you stop an asteroid?