[meteorite-list] Moon Laser Base Proposed for Asteroid-Comet Hazard

From: Ron Baalke <baalke_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 10:27:53 2004
Message-ID: <200311261910.LAA21148_at_zagami.jpl.nasa.gov>

http://www.space.com/astronotes/astronotes.html

Moon Laser Base Proposed for Asteroid-Comet Hazard
Leonard David
space.com
November 25, 2003

A lunar facility to mitigate the asteroid-comet hazard for the Earth
has been proposed by Russian scientist, Viacheslav Ivashkin of the M.V.
Keldysh Institute of Applied Mathematics.

The idea was tabled this week at the International Lunar Exploration
Working Group (ILEWG) meeting on the Kohala Coast, Hawai'i.

The base would be multi-tasked in its operation. Solar energy would
first be collected at the facility, then converted into electricity
to power both an astronomical observatory and a laser station.

Ivashkin's proposal has the observatory scanning the heavens for any
near-Earth objects (NEOs) -- either comets or asteroids -- that
could be on an incoming trajectory harmful to Earth.

"In this case, the laser station is proposed to give a powerful laser
effect on that object to deflect or destroy it," Ivashkin reports. The
Russian scientist has assessed the amount of solar collecting hardware
needed to be planted on the Moon to thwart hazardous NEOS, as well as
laser power levels required to produce the desired effects of mitigating
troublesome comets or asteroids.

In a paper presented at the ILEWG, Ivashkin concluded that international
cooperation in designing, creating and operating the
energy-astronomical-laser space base on the Moon is necessary.

Ivashkin's study of the asteroid-comet mitigation concept is being
supported by the Russian Foundation for the Basic Studies and the Harbin
Institute of Technology, China.
Received on Wed 26 Nov 2003 02:10:30 PM PST