[meteorite-list] Paint Could Alter Asteroids Course

From: Kevin Forbes <vk3ukf_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Tue Jan 3 10:07:03 2006
Message-ID: <BAY113-F203094793A5FC869BA3E5E992C0_at_phx.gbl>

The mind half boggles, how about the effect of volatiles evaporating from
the paint? e.g. land a lump of material that begins to vapourise when
illuminated by the Sun. Paint and thinners, the vapour from the material
will at first possibly provide more thrust than the variation between light
dark bits.......
I also am thinking, if the material was of a high gloss, it would work
better than , say, a powdery coating, such as talcum powder.
Kevin, VK3UKF.


>
>Paint could alter asteroids course
>The Scotsman (United Kingdom)
>December 31, 2005
>
>Scientists have spoken of their plans for a project to stop asteroids
>hitting the earth.
>
>Researchers from Glasgow University are looking into the possibility of
>spraying lumps of rock and ice with paint to knock them off course.
>
>Spraying the asteroids using a robot droid in space would heat or cool
>the surface using the sun's rays, hopefully diverting them from hitting
>the planet.
>
>It is thought this method would be much more effective than that
>fictionally used by film star Bruce Willis in the blockbuster
>Armageddon, where he and a team drilled a nuclear bomb into the core of
>a massive rock.
>
>Dr Gianmarco Radice, who is leading the research, told the Daily Record
>newspaper: "With an asteroid you are faced with the danger posed by one
>piece of rock.
>
>"Blow it to pieces and you could be faced with the even bigger problem
>of many more smaller pieces of rock hurtling towards the earth.
>
>"Ours would be an unmanned mission. There would be no need for Bruce
>Willis."
>
>The £300,000 three-year study into asteroids at the university is being
>backed by the Government's Engineering and Physical Sciences Research
>Council.
>
>The main threat is currently a 390-metre wide asteroid called Apophis,
>which Nasa believes could hit earth on April 13, 2036.
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Received on Tue 03 Jan 2006 10:07:00 AM PST