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- Solar Sail
- The net it idea
- Gravity Tractors
- Mission to Asteroid
PaintThe paint it ideaLamb Nodate, (Robert Lamb is a senior fellow and deputy director of the Program on Crisis, Conflict, and Cooperation (C3) at CSIS, researching governance and development amid conflict, Howstuffworks.com, “TOP 10 WAYS TO STOP AN ASTEROID”, http://dsc.discovery.com/space/top-10/asteroid-stopping-technology/index-03.html, SH) Painting an asteroid may sound ludicrous: When impending doom is headed straight for Earth, is it really the time to think about redecorating? If you factor in something called "solar powered orbital mechanics," it's a great time. On a hot and sunny day, would you wear a white shirt or a black shirt? Black might be the new black again by the time you read this, but the smart choice is white; it reflects more solar radiation (while dark colors absorb it). Similarly, paint part of an asteroid white and the colored section will feel more "push" from solar radiation, providing a slight nudge to push it gradually off of a course to kiss Earth goodbye. The "paint" in question could also take the form of light-colored dust or chalk -- anything to change the ratio between absorbed and reflected radiation. Solar SailThe solarwind it ideaLamb Nodate, (Robert Lamb is a senior fellow and deputy director of the Program on Crisis, Conflict, and Cooperation (C3) at CSIS, researching governance and development amid conflict, Howstuffworks.com, “TOP 10 WAYS TO STOP AN ASTEROID”, http://dsc.discovery.com/space/top-10/asteroid-stopping-technology/index-03.html, SH) Paint may not appeal to everyone, but using the sun's powerful wind of energy against an incoming asteroid plays a crucial role in several deflection strategies. Take, for instance, sending a spacecraft to attach a giant solar sail to the surface of a near-Earth asteroid. This structure, once unfurled, would reflect solar radiation and gently push an asteroid away from its original destination. In some plans, the sail would even be adjustable to provide a certain degree of remote control. Many experts doubt about attaching anything to an asteroid, however, is a wise idea. After all, these rocks are tumbling and spinning and, while we've landed unmanned vessels on asteroids before, we've hardly set up anything as complex as a working solar sail there. NetsThe net it ideaLamb Nodate, (Robert Lamb is a senior fellow and deputy director of the Program on Crisis, Conflict, and Cooperation (C3) at CSIS, researching governance and development amid conflict, Howstuffworks.com, “TOP 10 WAYS TO STOP AN ASTEROID”, http://dsc.discovery.com/space/top-10/asteroid-stopping-technology/index-03.html, SH) Netting a rogue asteroid may sound too much like a Wile E. Coyote ploy, but NASA has given the prospect some serious thought (and with nary an ACME Corporation mail-order catalog in sight). Scientists within the space agency think a carbon-fiber mesh weighing somewhere in the neighborhood of 550 pounds (249 kilograms) could be enough to change the potentially incoming asteroid Apophis' course. The idea? The net material would act like a solar sail, increasing the amount of solar radiation absorbed and emitted by the asteroid. Apophis isn't slated to come dangerously close to Earth until 2029, and then again in 2036 if it's just teasing us the first time. Scientists predict a mere 18 years of entanglement in the net could cast such a doomsday object clear of our world for the foreseeable future. Gravity TractorsThe gravity tractor ideaLamb Nodate, (Robert Lamb is a senior fellow and deputy director of the Program on Crisis, Conflict, and Cooperation (C3) at CSIS, researching governance and development amid conflict, Howstuffworks.com, “TOP 10 WAYS TO STOP AN ASTEROID”, http://dsc.discovery.com/space/top-10/asteroid-stopping-technology/index-03.html, SH) To many people, "gravitational tractor" may sound like some made-up technology in an episode of Star Trek, but the premise is fairly simple. Every object in the universe exerts a gravitational pull, including asteroids and man-made spacecraft. Gravity may be one of the weakest forces in the universe, but is also the most "ready-to-use" since all you need is a little mass -- so it makes sense to unleash it against asteroids. Theoretically, all we'd have to do is navigate a hefty robot close to the asteroid and tow it away with the gentle pull gravity. Not everybody's onboard with this method, however. To keep a spacecraft from crashing into the surface of the asteroid, thruster may need to be aimed in the asteroid's direction. This could push against the asteroid enough to counter any towing action. Plus, the cost may be astronomical compared to other methods... How much was that painting idea again? Mission to AsteroidA Mission to a nearby asteroid will help us learn vital skills to combat them later.Dickinson 2011 (David Dickinson January 12, 2011 “Near Earth Objects: Mitigating the Threat.” Accessed 6/21/11 http://astroguyz.com/2011/01/12/near-earth-objects-mitigating-the-threat/) JK Of course, a manned mission to a Near Earth Asteroid would be immensely beneficial, as well as raise public consciousness (and hopefully, funding). We could land, practice deflection skills, and study these curious beasts. An asteroid mission would also be a good stepping stone in getting us into manned interplanetary travel. The Obama administration has taken some steps in this direction in the past year; it remains to be seen if we have the resolve to commit to such a goal over the long term. One such tantalizing target could be the asteroid 99942 Apophis. Discovered in 2004, this asteroid caused a brief stir when it was discovered to have a close pass on April (Friday!) the 13th, 2029 and again in 2036. Later observations lowered its rating on the Torino scale to mostly harmless, but a mission in 2029 could be feasible if the technology is in place. Such a mission could plant a transmitter on the surface for more accurate future tracking of Apophis. One such organization that is taking a grass-roots approach to NEO hazard mitigation is the B612 Foundation. Their stated goal is to “significantly alter the orbit of an asteroid in a controlled manner by 2015.” Co-founded by astronaut Rusty Schweickart, this endeavor definitely has the ear of Congress. 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