If an asteroid is on a collision course with Earth

[Colonel Hogan]

I have no idea if that's true or not but assuming it is, so what? Still better than letting the whole thing hit us. That's assuming you find a way to blow it up in the first place which seems like some slim odds.

Not from a blast, which depends on air, but . . . what if, for some incomprehensibly stupid reason, you hired an oil-rig crew to drill a deep hole in the asteroid and drop the nuke into it?

In order to get an idea of just how "slim," all you need to know are two things:

1. The size of the "killer asteroid" thought to have rendered dinosaurs extinct is estimated at being between 5 - 15 kilometers across. That's thousands of meters to you and me, or between 3 - 10 miles if you're driving in the United States. There is no reason to disbelieve that a future extinction event asteroid might be several times larger.

2. The largest underground nuclear test in U. S. history (code name "Cannikin") on the island of Amchitka in Alaska had an explosive yield of 5 megatons (millions) of TNT. That compares to the Hiroshima bomb yield of 5 kilotons (thousands). The Cannikin device was buried 6,000 feet underground in a shaft only 90 inches wide!

The only evidence that any of the shockwave broke the surface was the spewing of groundwater out of existing geological faults to a height of about 20 feet in the air. No blast debris or radiation leak was recorded at the surface although the maximum uplift of the earth's surface near ground zero was about six meters. While some concerns remain about radioactivity beneath the surface and whether it is leaking into the ocean, the point is the largest underground test in American history was well contained merely a mile and a quarter beneath the earth.

Meanwhile, back in the lower 48, between 1951 and 1992 some 921 underground nuclear detonations (some of them simultaneous) occurred at the Nevada Test Site just 65 miles north of Las Vegas. While seismic activity was actually occasionally felt, there is no evidence that slot machine play was ever interrupted.

Keep in mind that the oxygen beneath the earth and IN THE ROCK was perfectly capable of and did, in fact, sustain enormous blast pressure and heat, UNLIKE the vacuum of space.

Conclusion: The largest bunker busting, ground boring operational devices in the entire U. S. nuclear arsenal would (assuming they hit their target) be like dropping a fire cracker down farmer John's well.

Literally nothing of any consequence would happen.

 

[hashtag46]

Which reminded me.
Talk about forces of nature:

I kept wondering why underguy1 stopped posting all of the sudden. It was strange, because he seemed quite invested in this forum. Then pookie said that Laurel banned him. And I see that Laurel put "loves spam" under his username, despite the fact that he never engaged in that sort of thing.

On the other hand, as much as I admired underguy's intellect and knowledge base, I totally see where Laurel was coming from.
I, for example might be critical of US's foreign policy regarding EU and the Middle East, but I'm anything but anti-american. Whereas underguy had a virulent anti-american attitude (not only politicians, but laypeople too) that was driving most of his posts.

 

[Pookie]

*sigh*

From NASA:



This is why nuking an asteroid will not work and would produce a radioactive massive object continuing on its collision course toward Earth. Quite simply, there would BE NO FRAGMENTS.

"Well, Colonel, how do you explain the violent explosion in space aboard Apollo 13 which the astronauts clearly felt and reported to Mission Control"?

The explosion on Apollo 13 was an explosion OF an onboard oxygen tank. The shockwave was produced BY the sudden ignition of the oxygen itself. Once consumed, which was very quickly, there was no shockwave. Debris, of course, accelerated out and maintained speed for quite some time. In fact, much of it may still be moving, albeit slowly. But you could have been in a companion space vehicle traveling, say, 50 feet from Apollo 13 and, were it not for the debris, you would not have felt a thing.

The "best" plan to divert a killer asteroid seems to be a soft landing of several powerful vehicles on the surface at strategic distances apart, point the engine nozzles back out into space and fire the engines so as to change the asteroids trajectory and miss Earth.

But any single piece of space debris big enough to destroy Earth is not going to be "blown up" with any nuclear weapons we possess.

That's informative. Thanks, Colonel.

Now can you answer this, can you smell a fart in the vacuum of space?

 

[saintcero]

"BY the sudden ignition of the oxygen itself."

Oxygen...not flammable alone...needs a fuel

 

[Rightguide]

In order to get an idea of just how "slim," all you need to know are two things:

1. The size of the "killer asteroid" thought to have rendered dinosaurs extinct is estimated at being between 5 - 15 kilometers across. That's thousands of meters to you and me, or between 3 - 10 miles if you're driving in the United States. There is no reason to disbelieve that a future extinction event asteroid might be several times larger.

2. The largest underground nuclear test in U. S. history (code name "Cannikin") on the island of Amchitka in Alaska had an explosive yield of 5 megatons (millions) of TNT. That compares to the Hiroshima bomb yield of 5 kilotons (thousands). The Cannikin device was buried 6,000 feet underground in a shaft only 90 inches wide!

The only evidence that any of the shockwave broke the surface was the spewing of groundwater out of existing geological faults to a height of about 20 feet in the air. No blast debris or radiation leak was recorded at the surface although the maximum uplift of the earth's surface near ground zero was about six meters. While some concerns remain about radioactivity beneath the surface and whether it is leaking into the ocean, the point is the largest underground test in American history was well contained merely a mile and a quarter beneath the earth.

Meanwhile, back in the lower 48, between 1951 and 1992 some 921 underground nuclear detonations (some of them simultaneous) occurred at the Nevada Test Site just 65 miles north of Las Vegas. While seismic activity was actually occasionally felt, there is no evidence that slot machine play was ever interrupted.

Keep in mind that the oxygen beneath the earth and IN THE ROCK was perfectly capable of and did, in fact, sustain enormous blast pressure and heat, UNLIKE the vacuum of space.

Conclusion: The largest bunker busting, ground boring operational devices in the entire U. S. nuclear arsenal would (assuming they hit their target) be like dropping a fire cracker down farmer John's well.

Literally nothing of any consequence would happen.

One small point, the Hiroshima bomb was about 15 Kt. A lot of these questions are based on the perception that nuclear weapons are the ultimate weapon. Most of it from anti-nuclear movement. The truth is there are things they can do and things they cannot do...like destroy big asteroids, let alone the earth.

 

[BoyNextDoor]

Not from a blast, which depends on air, but . . . what if, for some incomprehensibly stupid reason, you hired an oil-rig crew to drill a deep hole in the asteroid and drop the nuke into it?

Maybe they could start fracking it instead. Oklahoma is ready to fly off into the galaxy from earthquakes. Just sayin.

 

[KingOrfeo]

One small point, the Hiroshima bomb was about 15 Kt. A lot of these questions are based on the perception that nuclear weapons are the ultimate weapon. Most of it from anti-nuclear movement. The truth is there are things they can do and things they cannot do...like destroy big asteroids, let alone the earth.

Well, they are the ultimate weapon yet invented. Stay tuned for the antimatter bomb.

 

[Colonel Hogan]

That's informative. Thanks, Colonel.

Now can you answer this, can you smell a fart in the vacuum of space?

Inside the vehicle, most certainly. Inside YOUR space suit, I don't know. But guys are never grossed out by THEIR farts. Is that true for gals as well?

 

[Pookie]

Inside the vehicle, most certainly. Inside YOUR space suit, I don't know. But guys are never grossed out by THEIR farts. Is that true for gals as well?

I've grossed myself out more than once.

 

[Colonel Hogan]

"BY the sudden ignition of the oxygen itself."

Oxygen...not flammable alone...needs a fuel

Good catch! The fuel apparently was damaged teflon insulation.

56 hours into the mission, at about 03:06 UT on 14 April 1970 (10:06 PM, April 13 EST), the power fans were turned on within the tank for the third "cryo-stir" of the mission, a procedure to stir the oxygen slush inside the tank which would tend to stratify. The exposed fan wires shorted and the teflon insulation caught fire in the pure oxygen environment. This fire rapidly heated and increased the pressure of the oxygen inside the tank, and may have spread along the wires to the electrical conduit in the side of the tank, which weakened and ruptured under the pressure, causing the no. 2 oxygen tank to explode. This damaged the no. 1 tank and parts of the interior of the service module and blew off the bay no. 4 cover.

http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/lunar/ap13acc.html

 

[Colonel Hogan]

One small point, the Hiroshima bomb was about 15 Kt. A lot of these questions are based on the perception that nuclear weapons are the ultimate weapon. Most of it from anti-nuclear movement. The truth is there are things they can do and things they cannot do...like destroy big asteroids, let alone the earth.

Yep, 15 Kt. My mistake.

 

[Tryharder62]

Hey! You gotta try something!

 

[KingOrfeo]

Hey! You gotta try something!

Surest thing to work -- mentioned upthread, I believe -- would be to attach really, really big rocket engines to the asteroid to divert its course away from Earth.

But for all I know to the contrary -- perhaps CH knows something -- no rocket engine we can now build would exert enough force to divert asteroid with an extinction-level mass.

 

[doowdniw]

What sucks is when you have only four days between discovery of an Apollo-class asteroid, and the time of impact. Luckily, 2017BX bypassed us...this time.

 

[hashtag46]

Which reminds me:

Quite a few such objects hit certain regions in Russia over the years, the biggest incidents being the Chelyabinsk and Tunguska ones.
They speculate that those regions might be placed on a certain corridor.

 

[bigjbowski]

It will happen sooner or later. Maybe not in our lifetime but it will. Another Tunguska will happen in time. Who knows we may get hit by a solar flare before the asteroid. Either way were fucked no matter what. We need to be building a huge space station like the I.S.S. for this reason. Me if I heard one was on it's way. I'd try to get to the person I care about and make love until were taken out by it. I mean really what else could you do? Start digging a hole thinking that would help, fuck that. Accept it and be with the one you love enjoy those last moments you got.

 

[Hard_Rom]

The inevitable asteroid hit is why NASA and such science organizations must be supported. Our civilization and even our existence on this planet could be snuffed out at anytime. We are long overdue for a catastrophic impact. Before then we need viable self supporting colonies in space. Or say good bye to the human race. Which would be a shame. There maybe intelligent life out amongst the stars but nothing in this region of the universe.

Gaia is counting on us to take her seed and Terran DNA out to the other planets and other stars.

 

[phrodeau]

The inevitable asteroid hit is why NASA and such science organizations must be supported. Our civilization and even our existence on this planet could be snuffed out at anytime. We are long overdue for a catastrophic impact. Before then we need viable self supporting colonies in space. Or say good bye to the human race. Which would be a shame. There maybe intelligent life out amongst the stars but nothing in this region of the universe.

Gaia is counting on us to take her seed and Terran DNA out to the other planets and other stars.

The Christians are expecting that destruction any day now.

Revelation 16:17 The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and out of the temple came a loud voice from the throne, saying, “It is done!” 18 Then there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder and a severe earthquake. No earthquake like it has ever occurred since mankind has been on earth, so tremendous was the quake. 19 The great city split into three parts, and the cities of the nations collapsed. God remembered Babylon the Great and gave her the cup filled with the wine of the fury of his wrath. 20 Every island fled away and the mountains could not be found. 21 From the sky huge hailstones, each weighing about a hundred pounds,[a] fell on people. And they cursed God on account of the plague of hail, because the plague was so terrible.

 

[Hard_Rom]

And the Norse pagans are expecting Ragnorak. Music to Ragnorak may be better but still myth.

 

[KingOrfeo]

The inevitable asteroid hit is why NASA and such science organizations must be supported. Our civilization and even our existence on this planet could be snuffed out at anytime. We are long overdue for a catastrophic impact. Before then we need viable self supporting colonies in space. Or say good bye to the human race. Which would be a shame. There maybe intelligent life out amongst the stars but nothing in this region of the universe.

Gaia is counting on us to take her seed and Terran DNA out to the other planets and other stars.

GAIA: I thought they'd NEVER leave!

 

[Hard_Rom]

GAIA: I thought they'd NEVER leave!

Humans are Gaian cum. Will carry seed and impregnate the universe. Humans are a sign of sexual maturity of Gaia.

 

[Colonel Hogan]

Surest thing to work -- mentioned upthread, I believe -- would be to attach really, really big rocket engines to the asteroid to divert its course away from Earth.

But for all I know to the contrary -- perhaps CH knows something -- no rocket engine we can now build would exert enough force to divert asteroid with an extinction-level mass.

What sucks is when you have only four days between discovery of an Apollo-class asteroid, and the time of impact. Luckily, 2017BX bypassed us...this time.

I don't specifically know where we are with regard to such future planning, but one thing is certain. Lead time is everything. It's the difference between breaking hard and swerving to avoid an accident and g-e-n-t-l-y tapping the accelerator to steer off in another direction. One requires a massive expenditure of energy in a short period of time, and the other not so much.

 

[KingOrfeo]

I don't specifically know where we are with regard to such future planning, but one thing is certain. Lead time is everything. It's the difference between breaking hard and swerving to avoid an accident and g-e-n-t-l-y tapping the accelerator to steer off in another direction. One requires a massive expenditure of energy in a short period of time, and the other not so much.

Get to work on the asteroid-engine, NASA! NOW!

 

[KingOrfeo]

I've got it! Nuclear weapons! Not to blow up the asteroid, but to divert its course! Like an Orion drive! Would that work?