SUPPOSE WE COLLIDE WITH A PLANETOID

Abstract

Suggestions and comments on averting a collision between a planetoid and earth. A calculation has been made of the kinetic energy that a small planetoid, such as Icarus, would have if it were attracted by the gravitational field of the earth in such a way that it fell onto the earth's surface. This energy is several orders of magnitude larger than the energy released by the largest nuclear device exploded to date and is even more than 100 times the average annual energy released by earthquakes. Suggestions and comments are presented regarding possible procedures that might be followed should a collision course appear imminent between such a planetoid and the earth.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Dec 09, 1965
Accession Number
AD0628218

Entities

People

  • C. S. Cook

Organizations

  • Naval Radiological Defense Laboratory

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Aphelions
  • Asteroids
  • Elliptical Orbits
  • Exhaust Gases
  • Explosions
  • Explosives
  • Gravitational Fields
  • Kinetic Energy
  • Mechanical Phenomena
  • Meteorites
  • Meteoroids
  • Observatories
  • Orbits
  • Perihelions
  • Propellants
  • Rocket Fuels
  • Waves

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Explosive Engineering.
  • Plasma Physics / Magnetohydrodynamics
  • Space Exploration and Orbital Mechanics.