The threat of an Earth-asteroid collision is very real. Historically, asteroids and comets have proven to be sources of incredible destruction, and they are thought to have caused at least one mass extinction. This has motivated geologists, scientists and engineers to start devising plans to deflect potentially lethal asteroids and protect the earth from the resulting devastating impact.

The threat of an Earth-asteroid collision is very real. Historically, asteroids and comets have proven to be sources of incredible destruction, and they are thought to have caused at least one mass extinction. Find apple app. This has motivated geologists, scientists and engineers to start devising plans to deflect potentially lethal asteroids and protect the. QLC+ is a free and cross-platform software to control DMX or analog lighting systems like moving heads, dimmers, scanners etc. This project is a fork of the great QLC project written by Heikki Junnila that aims to continue the QLC development and to introduce new features. Click “Uninstall” when prompted by Adobe, or follow these manual uninstall instructions for Windows and Mac users. Since Adobe is no longer supporting Flash Player after the EOL Date, Adobe blocked Flash content from running in Flash Player beginning January 12, 2021 to help secure your system. Asteroid impact avoidance comprises a number of methods by which near-Earth objects (NEO) could be diverted, preventing destructive impact events.A sufficiently large impact by an asteroid or other NEOs would cause, depending on its impact location, massive tsunamis or multiple firestorms, and an impact winter caused by the sunlight-blocking effect of placing large quantities of pulverized.

Introduction

Space is not empty. Out there, above our heads, countless celestial bodies trace their silent trajectories across the universe. Most of these paths diverge from that of the Earth’s by unimaginable distances. However, a select few are on course to end their journey by colliding with our relatively larger planet with enough force to cause mass extinction. Until very recently, living things on Earth could only count on the sheer probability of avoiding these potentially dangerous impacts. But now, with the dawn of the space age, scientists are now looking towards the skies and planning on ways to take chance out of the equation by deflecting collision course asteroids using engineering.

Near Earth Object Program

In 1998, the Near Earth Object Program was launched with the goal of cataloging 90% all near-Earth objects (NEO) that measure over 1 km in diameter [1]. As of now, the program has tracked a cumulative total of 10,555 near-Earth objects travelling through our solar system [2]. Each of these bodies is assigned a rating on the Torino scale, which measures the likelihood of collision with Earth. The Torino scale is simply an 11 point scale, where 0 means virtual certainty of no collision, and 10 means virtual certainty of a destructive impact [3].
But why catalog these near earth objects? The answer to that question is that human survival depends on it. As dramatic as that may sound, the threat and dire consequences of an asteroid collision are very real. Massive objects colliding at very high velocities produce destructive results (Fig. 1).
Figure 1: The potential impact caused by a large asteroid/NEO on Earth.

Impacts throughout history

On the morning of June 30, 1908, a tremendous explosion rocked the remote Siberian tundra, leaving 800 square miles and 80 million trees levelled in a radial pattern [4, Fig. 1]. Known as the Tunguska event, this destruction was far beyond the level of any weaponry that had even be dreamed up at the time. Scientists would later conclude that the culprit was an asteroid 120 feet in diameter, hitting with the force of 185 Hiroshima bombs [4]. This makes the Tunguska the largest impact in recorded history. Fortunately, ground zero was deep in the Russian backcountry, as the resulting explosion would have been enough to obliterate any major metropolitan area. As destructive as Tunguska was, it pales in comparison to what larger asteroids are capable of.
Scientists are currently studying the Chicxulub crater underneath the Yucatán peninsula for clues about the extinction of the dinosaurs. Sixty-five million years ago, an enormous asteroid or comet collided with the Earth, exploding with a force of 100 million megatons, and digging out a crater 125 miles in diameter [5]. For reference, the Chicxulub asteroid was 2 million times more powerful than the Tsar Bomba, the largest nuclear weapon ever detonated [6]. This cataclysmic event generated acid rain, giant tsunamis, fires, and threw enough debris into the atmosphere to block out the sun, creating a long-lasting artificial winter [5]. The Chicxulub is theorized to have been the catalyst for the dinosaur extinction, and responsible for the extinction of 80% of sea life, effectively slamming the door shut on the Cretaceous period [5].

Modern Day Risks

Deflector
The chance of a major asteroid impact remains constant. Media outlets lit up in 2004, when the Near Earth Object Program calculated that the asteroid that would come to be known as 99943 Apophis had a 2.7% chance of hitting the Earth in 2029. Apophis, named for the Egyptian god of darkness, is roughly 280 meters, almost three football fields, in diameter and would hit with a force of 510 megatons [7]. While Apophis is now calculated to have only a 1 in 135,000 chance to hit Earth, its 2004 percentage distinguishes Apophis as the only NEO to reach a Torino rating of 4 [7][8]. This distinction spurred several studies to map Apophis’ likely impact path, and estimate the resulting destruction. The findings were not encouraging. If Apophis were to hit on land, most likely somewhere in South America, the death toll would be around 10 million [9]. If the asteroid collided with the sea instead, the resulting tsunamis would rise up to 800 feet [10]. For comparison, the deadliest tsunami in recorded history, the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami which left over 300,000 dead, reached heights of only 50 feet [11].
The world received an impressive reminder of the dangers of asteroids on the morning of February 15, 2013, when an asteroid exploded over the town of Chelyabinsk, Russia [12, Fig 2]. The resulting explosion, or superbolide, damaged over 7,000 buildings, and injured more than 1,500 people [13]. Fortunately, there were no fatalities. The asteroid that caused the damage was only 17 to 20 meters in size, a mere baby when compared to Apophis. Still, even this small asteroid became a 440 kiloton air-blast bomb upon entering the Earth’s atmosphere [12] (Fig. 2).
Figure 2: An illustration to depict the asteroid when it enters the Earth’s atmosphere.

The potential effects of an asteroid collision are clear enough. What remains is the question of what to do when the Earth is faced with its next certain encounter. Of course, there is evacuation and other disaster preparation, but why not attempt to avoid the collision to begin with? It turns out, if given enough of a head start, it takes only a relatively small course adjustment to prevent an impending collision. And, engineers are already at work, devising theoretical plans of action to achieve this very goal.

Nuclear Weapons

The first idea that seems to spring to most people’s minds is the solution used in the 1998 blockbuster “Armageddon”. The movie starts with the discover of a Texas-sized asteroid, which is set to collide with the Earth in 18 days. NASA quickly assembles a team that lands on the asteroid, drills down to its core, and sets off a nuclear weapon in order to blast the asteroid into pieces that will no longer collide with the planet. While the real life approach requires substantially more time and substantially less Bruce Willis, the basics remain the same. Given years or possibly months of prep time, we could launch a nuclear weapon at an asteroid. Upon arrival the missile could either explode some distance off the surface of the asteroid pushing it off course, or collide with the rock before detonating, hopefully tearing the asteroid apart into small harmless pieces [14].
There are several criticisms for this plan, as famous astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson points out, “[We] are very good at blowing stuff up, we’re less good at understanding where the pieces go after it blows up [15].” The last thing we would want to do is turn one dangerous asteroid into two. Another possibility, if the pieces weren’t scattered enough, is the asteroid could actually reform using gravitational force [14]. In light of these problems, engineers have proposed several ways of deflecting asteroids using less destructive means.

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The Paintball Approach

Sung Wook Paek, an MIT graduate student, wants to paint dangerous asteroids. Paek’s unique plan would have a spaceship enter orbit around the target and release two bursts of paintballs at a timed interval, covering the asteroid with a lovely coat of white paint [16]. The initial impact of the paintballs would push the rock slightly off course, but the real deflection results from the increase in the asteroid’s albedo, or reflectivity. In simpler terms, the extra force exerted by the sun’s photons on the white paint would actually push the asteroid out of its original trajectory, saving the planet from an impending impact. This process would be very slow, and require substantial preparation time. Paek calculated it would take 20 years and 5 tons of paint to deflect an asteroid the size of Apophis [16]. One problem with this decorative plan is keeping the paintballs intact throughout the journey. Paek suggested manufacturing the pellets on board the international space station to avoid subjecting them to the tremendous g-forces of lift off [16].

The Gravity Tractor

Another popular idea, formulated by NASA scientists Ed Lu and Stan Love, doesn’t involve touching the target asteroid at all. Instead, a large vessel would pull the asteroid off its course using the natural force of gravitation which occurs inherently between two massive objects. The details would entail launching a spaceship which would travel to the rock, and “park” itself nearby. The ship and asteroid would naturally pull together due to each others’ respective gravitational fields. The spaceship however, would use angled retro blasters to keep itself a constant distance away from the asteroid, essentially dragging it off course [Fig. 3]. Again, this process works rather slowly and would require substantial forewarning. A 20 ton gravity tractor could deflect a 60 million ton asteroid in as little as one year, given a 20 year lead time [17].

Conclusion

While the threat of an eventual asteroid impact is real, it doesn’t mean the result is a foregone conclusion. Many have started devising plans to negate any impending collision, but the common factor that is needed in each aforementioned case is time. While the Near-Earth Object Program is a great step forward in an early warning system, a warning is not enough if we do not have the technology to do anything about it. Developing deflection technologies today could mean the difference between catastrophic extinction or a milestone in human engineering tomorrow. We have the ideas and the potential means – the future is now up to us to shape.

References

    • [1] NASA. (2013). Near Earth Object Program FAQ [Online]. Available: http://neo.jpl.nasa.​gov/faq
    • [2] A. Chamberlain, NASA. (2013, February 7). NEO Discovery Statistics [Online]. Available:
    • http://neo.jpl.nasa.​gov/stats/
    • [3] R. P. Binzel. (2004). Torino Impact Scale [Online]. Available: http://impact.arc.na​sa.gov/torino.cfm
    • [4] T. Philips. (2008). The Tunguska Impact — 100 Years Later [Online]. Available: http://science.nasa.​gov/science-news/sci​ence-at-nasa/2008/30​jun_tunguska/
    • [5] University of Texas, Austin. (2000, December 25). Yucatan Crater Linked To Mass Extinctions Of Dinosaurs (ScienceDaily) [Online]. Available: http://www.scienceda​ily.com/releases/200​0/12/001225061758.ht​m
    • [6] TsarBomba.org. (2013). About Tsar Bomba [Online]. Available: http://www.tsarbomba​.org/
    • [7] NASA. (2013, January 10). 99942 Apophis (2004 MN4) Earth Impact Risk Summary [Online].
    • Available: http://neo.jpl.nasa.​gov/risk/a99942.html​
    • [8] D. Yeomans, S. Chesley, P. Choda. (2004, December 24). Near-Earth Asteroid 2004 MN4 Reaches Highest Score To Date On Hazard Scale [Online] Available: http://neo.jpl.nasa.​gov/news/news146.htm​l
    • [9] N. J. Bailey, G. G. Swinerd, A. D. Morley, H. G. Lewis. (2006). Near Earth Object impact simulation tool for supporting the NEO mitigation decision making process. Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union [Online]. 2, pp 477-486. Available: http://journals.camb​ridge.org/action/dis​playAbstract?fromPag​e=online&aid=998156
    • [10] D. Noland. (2006, November 7). 5 Plans to Head Off the Apophis Killer Asteroid [Online]. Popular
    • Mechanics. Available: http://www.popularme​chanics.com/science/​space/deep/4201569
    • [11] National Geographic News. (2005, January 27). The Deadliest Tsunami in History? [Online].
    • Available: http://news.national​geographic.com/news/​2004/12/1227_041226_​tsunami.html
    • [12] D. Yeomans, P. Chodas. (2013, March 1). Additional Details on the Large Fireball Event over Russia on Feb. 15, 2013. NASA. [Online]. Available: http://neo.jpl.nasa.​gov/news/fireball_13​0301.html
    • [13] Russia Beyond the Headlines. (2013, March 5). Meteorite-cause emergency situation regime over in Chelyabinsk region. [Online]. Available: http://rbth.ru/news/​2013/03/05/meteorite​- caused_emergency_sit​uation_regime_over_i​n_chelyabinsk_region​_23513.html
    • [14] C. Dillow. (2012, April 9). How it Would Work: Destroying an Incoming Killer Asteroid With a Nuclear Blast [Online]. PopSci.com. Available: http://www.popsci.co​m/technology/article​/2012- 04/how-it-would-work​-destroying-incoming​-killer-asteroid-nuc​lear-blast
    • [15] N. D. Tyson. (2008, February 19). Neil deGrasse Tyson: Death by Black Hole [Online Video]. Forav.tv. Available: http://fora.tv/2008/​02/19/Neil_DeGrasse_​Tyson_Death_by_Black​_Hole
    • [16] J. Chu. (2012, October 25). Paintballs May Deflect an Incoming Asteroid [Online]. Available: http://web.mit.edu/n​ewsoffice/2012/defle​cting-an-asteroid-wi​th-paintballs-1026.h​tml
    • [17] R. Cown. (2005, November 12). Protecting Earth. Science News [Online]. Vol. 168, pp. 310. Society for Science & the Public. Available: http://www.jstor.org​.libproxy.usc.edu/st​able/4016953

Asteroid Deflector Xl Mac Os 11

By Astrobiology Magazine - Mar 28, 2012
Dr. Massimiliano Vasile of the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, Scotland. Credit: University of Strathclyde

Pioneering engineers at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow are developing an innovative technique based on lasers that could radically change asteroid deflection technology. 3 reel free slot games.

The research has unearthed the possibility of using a swarm of relatively small satellites flying in formation and cooperatively firing solar-powered lasers onto an asteroid – this would overcome the difficulties associated with current methods that are focused on large unwieldy spacecraft.

Massimiliano Vasile, of Strathclyde’s Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, is leading the research. He said: “The approach we are developing would involve sending small satellites, capable of flying in formation with the asteroid and firing their lasers targeting the asteroid at close range.

“The use of high power lasers in space for civil and commercial applications is in its infancy and one of the main challenges is to have high power, high efficiency and high beam quality all at the same time.

“The additional problem with asteroid deflection is that when the laser begins to break down the surface of the object, the plume of gas and debris impinges the spacecraft and contaminates the laser. Xkas tool for mac. However, our laboratory tests have proven that the level of contamination is less than expected and the laser could continue to function for longer than anticipated.”

Just over 100 years ago a 2000-kilometer area of vegetation was destroyed when an object believed to be 30-50 metres in diameter exploded in the skies above Tunguska, Siberia. While the likelihood of an immediate threat from a similar asteroid strike remains low, it is widely recognised that researching preventative measures is of significant importance.

Vasile added: “The Tunguska class of events are expected to occur within a period of a few centuries. Smaller asteroids collide with Earth more frequently and generally burn in the atmosphere although some of them reach the ground or explode at low altitude potentially causing damage to buildings and people.

“We could reduce the threat posed by the potential collision with small to medium size objects using a flotilla of small agile spacecraft each equipped with a highly efficient laser which is much more feasible than a single large spacecraft carrying a multi mega watt. Our system is scalable, a larger asteroid would require adding one or more spacecraft to the flotilla, and intrinsically redundant – if one spacecraft fails the others can continue.”

The Tunguska impact occurred in 1908 and wiped out 830 square miles of Siberian forest.
Credit: Smithsonian Institution

Vasile is now investigating the use of the same concept to remove space debris. The number of objects in orbit classified as debris is ever-increasing and with no widely accepted solution for their removal. Researchers at the University of Strathclyde believe the space-borne lasers could be used to lower the original orbit of the space debris and reduce the congestion.

Descargar acrobat pro gratis. Vasile said: “The amount of debris in orbit is such that we might experience a so called Kessler syndrome – this is when the density becomes so high that collisions between objects could cause an exponentially increasing cascade of other collisions.

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“While there is significant monitoring in place to keep track of these objects, there is no specific system in place to remove them and our research could be a possible solution.

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“A major advantage of using our technique is that the laser does not have to be fired from the ground. Obviously there are severe restrictions with that process as it has to travel through the atmosphere, has a constrained range of action and can hit the debris only for short arcs.”

The research was carried out in collaboration with the University of Strathclyde’s Institute of Photonics and was presented to the Planetary Society at the end of February.

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Source: University of Strathclyde press release

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