Explosions in space.
Explosions in space.
(OP)
Some may consider this a stupid question, but I want to know. When I watch Science Fiction shows about asteriods threatening the Earth, they sometimes show missiles with nuclear weapons breaking up the asteriod.
My question is, does an explosion really do any damage in the vacuum of space? A nuclear explosion is mostly a heat engine, isn't it? Heat can radiate thru a vacuum, but will that really destroy an asteriod, or just sear it, or maybe crack it with expansion?
This also connects with the idea of using nuclear explosions to propel spaceships. On the first part, I don't see how they expect a craft to survive such a sudden thrust, if that could even happen in a vacuum. Secondly, why waste so much energy, when very little of it could be captured by the backside of the ship, even if it were flared?
I just want to get some straight facts if I ever discuss this socially.
My question is, does an explosion really do any damage in the vacuum of space? A nuclear explosion is mostly a heat engine, isn't it? Heat can radiate thru a vacuum, but will that really destroy an asteriod, or just sear it, or maybe crack it with expansion?
This also connects with the idea of using nuclear explosions to propel spaceships. On the first part, I don't see how they expect a craft to survive such a sudden thrust, if that could even happen in a vacuum. Secondly, why waste so much energy, when very little of it could be captured by the backside of the ship, even if it were flared?
I just want to get some straight facts if I ever discuss this socially.





RE: Explosions in space.
TTFN
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RE: Explosions in space.
RE: Explosions in space.
I've seen plenty of things start in sci-fi and end up in reality. Those that are credible happen, bad science doesn't get anywhere.
RE: Explosions in space.
There must be quite a few people in the US DOD and elsewhere studying these things rather intensively for space war purposes.
For a nuclear explosion in a vacuum there would be the usual tremendous release of heat in the form of various wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation. What else happens? Apart from irradiating a comet/asteroid what would be the physical effects on it?
RE: Explosions in space.
Other than thermal effects, which could be very intense, a rocky asteroid would probably not suffer much unless there was a direct hit. Most of the energy would be deposited with the first few inches of the surface. Seems that this is not an effective means of destroying asteroids.
If the asteroid were to be shattered, where would the remains go?
RE: Explosions in space.
> The smaller chunks more easily burn up in the atmosphere.
> There may be sufficient delta_v to miss Earth altogether.
TTFN
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RE: Explosions in space.
Point being to break up the asteroid for the reasons IRstuff said.
I recall some one doubting the benefit firing nukes at an asteroid but for the reasons IRstuff lists I always thought it may make sense.
Not only will the smaller chunks burn up more in the atmosphere, possibly completely, but I suspect will do less overall damage. Partly because there will be less net mass impacting the earth (as some mass 'burnt' off) but also because smaller impacts will probably only have local effects while larger ones may have more widespread results.
For instance one asteroid hundreds of meters across hitting the ocean might be expected to cause a tsunami. Hundreds of smaller impacts in the ocean probably wouldn't have the same net effect.
If you're talking about the idea of detonating the nuke say next to the asteroid in order to try and give it an impulse then you may have more of a point. If you look at how ion engines etc work I'd expect it would put an impulse on the rock but I'm not sure how big it would be, even for a multi megaton warhead.
You could maybe make a special warhead that acts a bit like a shot gun. The nuke could have material around it (or just at one orientation pointed to the asteroid) that although it gets vaporized by the explosion will still have significant impulse. This impacting on the asteroid may work.
KENAT, probably the least qualified checker you'll ever meet...
RE: Explosions in space.
Starring Bruce Willis, Ben Affleck, LIV, Billy Bob Thornton, Will Patton, Steve Buscemi, and Michael Clarke Duncan
TTFN
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RE: Explosions in space.
http://
Here's an idea for diverting the asteroid.
http://abc
If you have that much time why not strap an ion engine to the darn thing and divert it that way, or am I missing something.
KENAT, probably the least qualified checker you'll ever meet...
RE: Explosions in space.
TTFN
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RE: Explosions in space.
Oh yeah, the movie with the line "one summer...at band camp.....!"
RE: Explosions in space.
You could maybe calculate it out from first principles.
KENAT, probably the least qualified checker you'll ever meet...
RE: Explosions in space.
RE: Explosions in space.
You make a little spaceship/lander that has a big old ion engine, a nuclear power source and a plasma torch type device.
You land it on the asteroid, the plasma torch is used to generatate the 'fuel' for the ion engine from the asteroid itself.
How much do you recon NASA will pay me for saving the world?
KENAT, probably the least qualified checker you'll ever meet...
RE: Explosions in space.
RE: Explosions in space.
KENAT, probably the least qualified checker you'll ever meet...
RE: Explosions in space.
He advocated for early detection with minor deflection. We probably won't be around for any of it though. Given the huge number of species went extinct before we even arrived, the odds of us lasting are very slim.
Boy, I feel like the life of the party now!
RE: Explosions in space.
There may be ways to rig a nuclear explosive to dump the radiation energy into a propellant tank and produce impulse. Nuclear warheads produce a lot of energy. If it could efficiently be channeled into gas, it would make for a lot of impulse. To move a large asteroid (think manhattan island in orbit - hundreds of thousands, if not millions of tons), you need a lot of impulse.
To push an asteroid out of the way, if it is on an earth collision course, the most efficient method of doing so would be to send your device to rendezvous with it at apogee, about 0.5-2 years before impact (depending on it's orbit). Small changes in velocity there would amount to planet-radii of change in orbital path at impact. This requires a year or two before that of warning to launch whatever interception device scheme you have in mind.