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Re: Elongated asteroids- Magnetic Maneuvering

Hello All,

Sir Newton , in his third law, admonishes us that "For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction".  So for a magnetic "repulsion" system to work, it would require a space platform of equal mass and a power source likely as much as the output of all earthly electrical generation for a few decades.  Any force- - magnetic, blast, or otherwise- - will act on both masses with equal work.  Equal work- - meaning mass x velocity on both sides will be equal.  This is why a bullet  travels at such a high velocity as compared to the speed a rifle settles into the shooters shoulder.  The large mass x very slow speed backwards of a rifle equals the very small mass x high forward speed of the bullet and propellant gasses.  The solution then seems to be to  apply a small force over a very long period of time.  While a  a single trust might be imperceptible, the cumulative thrusts will ultimately move the larger mass where ever it is you want it to go!

Gene Marlin wrote:
<snip>
How about getting enough energy behind the magnet in the first place to stop
> the asteroid? It does no good to just be dragged alongside it, even though it might
> slightly decrease the momentum of the object. (very slightly)

In space mechanics there is no such thing as stopping a "body" in this sense, technically.  You may change its velocity to match another body's,  but gravity and centrifugal force keep it going somewhere all the time.  The trick is to not be where it is at the same time, unless you are both headed on the same vector.

jjswaim wrote:
> 
> <snip>
>  Further, if it is an iron, couldn't we consider using alternate methods of
> deflecting it other than with solid matter,  for example with, say, a
> massive repelling magnetic field whose source emanates from a space station
> somewhere at a safe distance from the atmosphere? 


As it turns out, all would not be lost on an iron body.  There is a theoretical engine which would use iron atoms boiled off the surface, as a propulsion mass in the fashion of the ion drive which we are using now . The logistics are quite a feat to emplace and power enough engines to sufficiently affect a cubic kilometer mass.  Plutonium or solar powered lasers would vaporize the iron atoms which would be magnetically transported to the ion drive.  Iron in a gaseous or plasmatic state might be able to produce a tremendous amount of work (thrust) but there are many technologies to be perfected.  This is a long term operation.  However, in theory, ion engines given sufficient time and power could be the thruster of choice for steering a asteroid to a desired orbit.  The research in this area is presently focused more in the realm of asteroid mining.

"Ion engines work differently than chemical engines. Ion engines take very small amounts of gas and accelerate it to very high speeds, unlike chemical engines which take large amounts of gas and spew it out at a slow speed. This means that an ion engine uses a lot less fuel. Ion engines are limited by energy, not by mass. Therefore "running out of gas" is not a large problem with ion engines. The limit for ion engines is usually where to get all the electricity to feed the ion engine. Ion engines are limited by how much energy (electricity) that a rocket can carry or how much energy the solar panels can collect".... (Institute for The Learning Sciences, Northwestern University)

For what it is worth here is a link to 1990 AN10 <http://newton.dm.unipi.it/cgi-neo/neoibo?objects:7003308;main>

"Watch the skies, everywhere! Keep looking. Keep watching the skies!"..... Scotty the Reporter, (The Thing from Another World, 1951) .

Regards,
Elton Jones

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