Re: Slow Stealth

On 2008-02-26, IsaacKuo <mechdan@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
> The original concept assumed it's okay to wait decades for the
> mission to complete, so the required delta-v might not be so
> daunting.

If it were not an asteroid crossing Earth's orbit to begin with, then
there would be a minimum delta-V requirement - almost certainly enough
for contained waste heat to vaporise it.

If it were a multi-gigatonne asteroid passing near Earth's orbit, it
would definitely be tracked.


Either way, the power requirement for an asteroid of the size being
discussed would be more like terawatts than megawatts.  It would be
practically impossible to change its orbit enough to hit Earth at all,
let alone do so stealthily.


- Tim