Questions tagged [asteroids]
For questions about rock particles or large rocky bodies in space, typically in orbit around a star. Contrast with "meteors", space rocks falling to planetary surfaces. Whereas asteroids are objects to be encountered during space travel, meteors are a space weather phenomenon observed on planets.
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Could asteroid mining be made viable if there were a resource rich asteroid in orbit just beyond the moon?
Two of the biggest issues with asteroid mining is the issue of actually getting materials from the the asteroid in question back to earth, and the relative abundance of resources on earth vs in space. ...
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Why wouldn't the world have advanced warning of a significant asteroid/comet strike?
Suddenly, the news warn of a civilization-resetting asteroid/comet about to hit the earth in hours. No-one knew a thing.
Why? Well, my research shows that such an event is extremely unlikely in any ...
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Asteroid--earth as a bull's eye
I'm writing a near-term SF story. An asteroid the size of Manhattan is diverted by an outside force (long story) into a collision course with earth. This body will hit in four weeks after discovery! ...
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Effects of an Exploding Gas Giant
What if Jupiter exploded all of a sudden, from the center out, a la "Krypton"? Given its apparently rocky core, what would be the effects? I'm thinking of such possibilities as:
Impacts ...
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Is it possible to use the tech behind Project Daedalus as an asteroid defense system?
Assuming that all requirements are met, is it possible to use the gigantic Project Daedalus fusion propulsion to move large "Planet-Killing" asteroids at a meaningful pace, be it asteroid ...
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Rate at which jackhammer excavates asteroid
I've got a family using a jackhammer to excavate an asteroid habitat they intend to homestead in.
The jackhammer is large, and would normally need mounting on
a column or tripod like this mining ...
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Can I spin 3753 Cruithne and keep it spinning?
I am planning to build a habitat with close to Earth gravity on asteroid 3753 Cruithne. I would dig a circular tunnel (or series of parallel tunnels) deep under the surface, with a radius of 4 ...
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Using asteroids for water
I have a planet that has no natural water bodies or sources. Is it feasible (assuming technology along the lines of the Earth Engines from "The Wandering Earth") to take asteroids from a ...
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What are the repercussions of two asteroids in the asteroid belt colliding?
As the title states, what would happen if two asteroids in the asteroid belt were to collide? Specifically, two the size of 45 Eugina impacting with each other. In my story, I am thinking about having ...
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Would a rogue planet experience more asteroid collisions?
I'm working on a novel where the characters inhabit a rogue planet. Would that planet get hit by more asteroids due to the fact that it isn't orbiting a star? I have a feeling that the distance is ...
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What would be the size of the outer asteroid belt in this system?
I am following the Artifexia-like system building with the calculator. Per the calculator, my system looks like this:
I am having trouble calculating the inner and outer limits of the second asteroid ...
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433 Eros hits the Moon. How much rock hits the Earth?
A la this image I made.
The "how" (nuclear pulse drive "adjusting" Eros's orbit at its aphelion) and "why" (uber-sized Rods from God) isn't particularly relevant — all ...
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amount of mass needed to speed up Venus rotation
So, returning again to the subject of terraforming Venus, what if these terraformers collide an asteroid with the planet? This meteor hits Venus at an angle, and thus speeds up its rotation to 24 ...
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What is the most massive naturally occurring object that could support a void in its center?
Remember Journey to the Center of the Earth? The premise is that there's some kind of cave in the center of the Earth, which has an ecosystem inside it. Well, of course you can't do such a silly ...
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Chances for a Large Asteroid Hitting Mars
Since Mars is much closer to the asteroid belt, is it also more likely an asteroid large enough for planetary devastation (~1 kilometer) will strike it? I'm especially wondering how such a possibility ...
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