
Russia Calls for International Anti-Asteroid System after Meteor Terror [video] - mtgx
http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/articles/435811/20130215/russia-meteor-putin.htm
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lutusp
The linked site is absolutely horrible. To be able to read the article, you
must manually disable two running videos -- one at the top of the page, one at
the bottom.

Whoever designed this page deserves either a medal or banishment. Maybe both.

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iwwr
Note that once the asteroid has hit the atmosphere it can't be stopped.
Stories about anti-aircraft batteries or missiles "shooting it down" are
absolute bogus. Even if you do hit it, you do nothing to reduce its kinetic
energy.

A similar concept: <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinetic_bombardment>

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martinced
Can you explain why it wouldn't work if it was blown in, say, 1000 pieces that
would burn faster than it would burn if it was still in one piece?

Or maybe that once it's in the atmosphere there's no burning anymore?

But then what about kinetic energy loss due to air resistance? Wouldn't it
work better with 1000 small pieces instead of just one piece?

And aren't 1000* (x/1000) * speed ^ 2 hits better than a single x * speed ^ 2
hit?

I'm interested and despite reading the wiki link I don't really get it.

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gnu8
1) WikiPEDIA

2) For a meteor so large that it needs to be broken into 1000 pieces to be
safely dispersed, it might take a nuclear explosive. Detonating nukes over
populated areas is at least as intolerable as letting objects like that
impact. Altering their course before they enter the atmosphere is really the
only solution.

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rdl
I'm glad to have donated to B612 (b612foundation.org) which is working on a
private mission to detect earth-threatening asteroids, a first step.

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genwin
Only $100 trillion after interest payments. Let's bump up to 70-hour work
weeks and get crackin' on this system, for the children.

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lostlogin
Or borrow from 1 or more countries defense budgets.

