How Diffractive Solar Sails Could Stop a Killer Asteroid at 100 km/s
Asteroids don’t come with a warning label that they might one day hit Earth. While we don’t know of any currently on course to do so, we are finding thousands of new ones each year, and there’s always a potential that one could. We proved a viable technique for dealing with that eventuality - the DART mission successfully moved a small asteroid using a “kinetic impactor” - basically a big rod…
Asteroids present a significant threat to Earth, with thousands discovered annually. While no currently known asteroid poses an imminent danger, the possibility remains high. Previously, NASA's DART mission demonstrated a viable approach to mitigating this threat by employing a kinetic impactor, a large rod designed to gently push an asteroid off its path.
However, DART had a significant limitation - it approached its target asteroid from behind and collided with it using an impactor launched from orbit around the asteroid. This method, requiring years of meticulous orbital maneuvering, is only feasible with ample warning.
Researchers at Beihang University propose an alternative technique using a novel solar sail to deflect a potentially hazardous asteroid head-on. This innovative approach could provide a quicker and more efficient solution, even with limited warning time. By directly hitting the asteroid, rather than approaching from behind, the solar sail could potentially alter the asteroid's trajectory more effectively.
Written by urgent.news from Universe Today's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
