3 ms·

Shooting a 100kg mass off at 30%C wouldn't be taken lightly by whoever it hit! Planet killer?

• vkou 11y ago
  Not quite. Considering an inelastic collision, the impact would dissipate roughly mv^2/2 worth of energy, so... 1/2 * 100kg * (10^8 m/s)^2 = 5 * 10^17 Joules of kinetic energy. In contrast, the amount of solar energy that impacts the Earth each second is 10^17 Joules. For a more relevant comparison, the Tsar Bomba (50 megatons) released ~2*10^17 Joules. So, worst-case, the probe would cause the equivalent of a ~100 megaton explosion. Hardly a planet-killer.
  • mcguire 11y ago
    But still pretty impressive. I say we start flinging these things at all the extra-solar planets we've discovered. Think of it as grafitti or an art project. Leaving our mark on the universe.
    • dr_zoidberg 11y ago
      That sounds like the kind of art that Black Hat Guy from XKCD would aprove of.