[meteorite-list] Deep Impact, Impact

From: MeteorHntr_at_aol.com <MeteorHntr_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Sun Jul 3 21:56:03 2005
Message-ID: <3C4C3115.7323A112.0BF9B800_at_aol.com>

Sterling Said:
?"It's like the world's tiniest gnat smacking into the windshield of the world's biggest 18-wheeler, only even less so!"

List,

While I agree Deep Impact should not alter the Tempel 1 orbit, but I have to disagree with the gnat/18 wheeler example as most gnats don't create craters the size of football stadiums in the windshields of the trucks they hit.

Now if the gnat would hit the truck taveling at 23,000 miles per hour, then maybe it would be a better comparison. Then again, at 23,000 mph the trucks "orbit" might indeed be altered.

And if the truck is as fragile as Orgueil, then maybe that little gnat would cause some problems.

Steve Arnold
#1
Arkansas
Received on Sun 03 Jul 2005 09:55:55 PM PDT