41 replies to this topic

[Hilander]

Quote

CBS News..(Space.com) A well-placed nuclear explosion could actually save humanity  from a big asteroid hurtling toward Earth, just like in the movies, a  new study suggests.  Scientists at Los Alamos National Laboratory, a United States Department  of Energy facility in New Mexico, used a supercomputer to model nukes' anti asteroid effectiveness.  They attacked a 1,650-foot-long (500-meter) space rock with a 1-megaton  nuclear weapon - about 50 times more powerful than the U.S. blast  inflicted on Nagasaki, Japan, to help end World Read More Here

Think we've had it if an asteroid does come for us or do you think they will save the day?

[socrates.junior]

I personally trust Bruce Willis on this one.

[Hero of our time.]

The Lord will sustain us on our sickbed

and restore us from our bed of illness.  Psalm 41:3

   God sent ME into the world not to condemn the world;


but that the world  through ME might be saved. John 3:17


   This is the wisdom of ME, and US to save the world.You are me, and me, you.

[WoIverine]

It will most likely seperate a killer asteroid into either smaller (still large) sections, or thousands of irradiated smaller ones, which would hopefully disintegrate before they impact on the Earth. It would still probably do a lot of damage, with high levels of radiation now added to the mix. It would no longer be a planet killer, but there would still be some extensive fallout.

Edited by Spid3rCyd3, 15 March 2012 - 01:33 PM.

[Cryptozological Mascot]

@ Hero... um... I consider myself faithful to God, however throwing a bible at the rock problably wouldn't do much good...

[dest]

maybe but if it does then there is a chance that small radio active meteors hit earth and some places get radio active etc :P

Edited by dest, 15 March 2012 - 03:28 PM.

[questionmark]

In any case, this is the dumbest idea since the construction of the Tower of Babylon. We can more or less estimate the damage any rock coming this way will cause, we cannot estimate the damage 1000 rocks will cause, especially if we blew the first rock up.

[BrandOfAmber]

I would like to go on record officially in agreement with Questionmark and Spid3rCyd3.

There are SOOOO many problems with this idea, it's ridiculous to even discuss.

But let's...

1) Getting the Warhead into orbit - totally dangerous, not to mention potentially mis-interpreted as a ICBM strike and the start of WW3...

2) Getting the Warhead to the target - totally impossible.  Space isn't like firing a missile in the atmosphere, an aerodynamic shape means nothing  in the vacuum.  Let alone keeping a missile lit long enough (tiny fuel supply) to cover the distance to the target (target must be VERY far out to have the resulting pieces not hit Earth...)

3) Destroying the target - good luck destroying (not irradiating like is the threat on Earth from Nukes, but actually physically shattering...) something the size of the State of Rhode Island with a single warhead.  Have fun with that.  I've done the math, and there is simply no way.

4) Predicting the course of the shards after the explosion - absolutely impossible.

5) Predicting the size(s) of the resulting pieces (if you end up with just 2 rocks at half size on the same course, you weren't effective).

6) WE HAVE NO SPACE INFRASTRUCTURE.  So no matter what goes wrong en situ (and SOMETHING WILL), we have zero ability to respond to the situation.  Apollo 13 was scary, but imagine if the success of that mission also represented the survival of our entire species...  That's us, right now, in 2012.

This idea is ridiculous non-sense.

At the very least, if you are going to 'shoot' at asteroids, let's build a magnetic railgun that has the range to fire at the targets first!  Sheesh.

-Brand

[JayMark]

socrates.junior, on 15 March 2012 - 03:52 AM, said:

I personally trust Bruce Willis on this one.

Dunno man. The dude's getting pretty old. I don't think he'd be able to lift a nuclear missile and throw it at the asteriod.

Just sent a picture of Chuck Norris to the damn thing and it's going to nuke itself into the sun.

[King Fluffs]

The smaller bits would kill us, I think.

[bouncer]

King Fluffs, on 15 March 2012 - 07:54 PM, said:

The smaller bits would kill us, I think.

Nuclear bombs can save earth? Eh?

If the middle east kicks of this year, with Israel threatening to nuke Iran - which in turn triggers WW3... there will be nothing much worth saving.  We're in more danger from wars than asteroids, lets get the worries into perspective!

besides, think about it, so you're an asteroid who's been zooming thru space, being so massive and so fast - traveling at who knows what speed... and a nuclear bomb, IF it can be launched into space, and IF it doesn't malfunction on the way, and IF the trajectory doesn't go awry, and IF it actually hits the target, it 'may' alter the trajectory so it hits us better than it would of, or as has been said, breaks some bits off... meaning we're in for more than one impact..

But what if it doesn't do as much damage in space as it does on earth?  Have nuclears been tested in space? Anyone?

If theres been no tests, and that's what its all about...whose to say what may happen?

Edited by bouncer, 15 March 2012 - 08:26 PM.

[SPETSNAZ95]

Would that possibly cause an EMP?

[questionmark]

SPETSNAZ95, on 15 March 2012 - 09:04 PM, said:

Would that possibly cause an EMP?

Depending on how far they blow the thingy up the answer is yes.

[Sakari]

BrandOfAmber, on 15 March 2012 - 04:46 PM, said:

2) Getting the Warhead to the target - totally impossible.  Space isn't like firing a missile in the atmosphere, an aerodynamic shape means nothing  in the vacuum.  Let alone keeping a missile lit long enough (tiny fuel supply) to cover the distance to the target (target must be VERY far out to have the resulting pieces not hit Earth...)

This is the only one I really have to call BS on, sorry

We have that technology......Doesn't really take much to see it, what we have all ready done with Mars expeditions, and others shows we could get the war head there......



Remember the satelite they shot out of orbit from a US Navy ship?

[kobolds]

depend on the size of asteroid and volume  . if it's as small and light as the satellite  then yes .   if it's the size of an island then NO .