A Gravitational Tractor For Towing Planetoids, Saving both Earth and Space Rocks |
A Gravitational Tractor For Towing Planetoids, Saving both Earth and Space Rocks |
Sep 21 2005, 03:25 PM
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 2454 Joined: 8-July 05 From: NGC 5907 Member No.: 430 |
astro-ph/0509595 [abs, pdf] :
Title: A Gravitational Tractor for Towing Asteroids Authors: Edward T. Lu, Stanley G. Love Categories: astro-ph Comments: 4 pages, 1 figure - to be published in Nature We present a concept for a spacecraft that can controllably alter the trajectory of an Earth threatening asteroid using gravity as a towline. The spacecraft hovers near the asteroid with thrusters angled outward so the exhaust does not impinge on the surface. This deflection method is insensitive to the structure, surface properties, and rotation state of the asteroid. http://arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0509595 -------------------- "After having some business dealings with men, I am occasionally chagrined,
and feel as if I had done some wrong, and it is hard to forget the ugly circumstance. I see that such intercourse long continued would make one thoroughly prosaic, hard, and coarse. But the longest intercourse with Nature, though in her rudest moods, does not thus harden and make coarse. A hard, sensible man whom we liken to a rock is indeed much harder than a rock. From hard, coarse, insensible men with whom I have no sympathy, I go to commune with the rocks, whose hearts are comparatively soft." - Henry David Thoreau, November 15, 1853 |
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