Slashdot Mirror


Deflecting an Asteroid Will Be Harder Than Scientists Thought (upi.com)

schwit1 shares a report from UPI: According to new asteroid collision models designed by scientists at Johns Hopkins University, deflecting a large rock headed for Earth will be harder than previously thought. Using the most up-to-date findings on rock fracturing, researchers developed computer models to more accurately simulate asteroid collisions. For the newest study, scientists decided to divide the model into two phases. Phase one modeled the immediate fracturing that happens in the wake of a collision -- the processes that play in a matter of seconds. The second phase simulated the gravitational re-accumulation process that happens over the course of several hours or days.

The first phase of the updated model showed a large asteroid is not destroyed by a much smaller asteroid. Instead, millions of cracks form throughout, the core fractures and a crater is left behind. During phase two, the fractured core exerts a strong gravitational pull on the smaller pieces of debris and shrapnel broken during the impact. Because the asteroid did not crack completely during phase one, the space rock retained significant strength. If scientists are going to develop an asteroid deflection strategy that can actually work, they need to know how much force it really takes to destroy or deflect one. The latest study -- published in the newest issue of the journal Icarus -- showed it's more force than was originally thought.

5 of 180 comments (clear)

  1. Are the scientists confused? by Plumpaquatsch · · Score: 4, Informative

    "Deflecting" and "destroying" are two different strategies to avoid collision with an asteroid - and "destroying" has long been seen as the worse one for that matter.

    --
    Of course news about a fake are Fake News.
    1. Re:Are the scientists confused? by AmiMoJo · · Score: 3, Informative

      No, it seems like TFA is confused. The paper isn't looking at deflection really, it's looking the possibility of shattering the asteroid.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
  2. Re: Isn't the goal to change its course? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Informative

    Lol the birdshot is still rocks as big as a building vs a rock the size of a mountain. They won't burn up fast enough and anyway the thermal energy released by thousands of objects tearing through the atmosphere would be enough to cause worldwide devastation. You know nothing about physics. Kill yourself.

  3. Re: Isn't the goal to change its course? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

    You know nothing about physics. Kill yourself.

    The uneducated only become educated through the sharing of knowledge, asshole. I'm certain there are things you know nothing about (it's called being human), and yet I'm not condemning you to death for it.

  4. link to the actual source, which does makes sense by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Informative

    https://hub.jhu.edu/2019/03/04...

    Looks like the editors did not even look at it and just "aggregated" the content from some random news site that also was no capable of summarizing the hart of the matter in a subject line.