6 ms·

The real answer: It's entirely beyond our capabilities and not achievable at all.

gary_0 6y ago
The energy cost of changing something's orbit is not just mass times distance, otherwise launching a 1 metric tonne probe to Mars would have been impossible. Thanks to orbital dynamics, there are a lot of opportunities to get huge bang for your delta-V buck.
fallingknife 6y ago
Not true. Well timed gravitational slingshots have been used on many existing missions. e.g. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parker_Solar_Probe https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parker_Solar_Probe
- ggm 6y ago
  Of stable masses capable of analysis in advance to their mechanical properties under thrust. Asteroids are known solely by their orbital elements and we have literally no idea how the specific mass works as an aggregate or bonded entity, under load or stress.
  - Dylan16807 6y ago
    You can line up a slingshot with a very low rate of acceleration, though.
    - ggm 6y ago
      Yes. I probably overstated my case. How quickly would that deliver a benefit?
      - simonh 6y ago
        It could take years for each mission, but of course at industrial scale you could have a continuous delivery queue and processing each asteroid could provide months or years worth of material. Think of each asteroid as a new mine being opened up. These initial missions are just proof of concept to test out techniques. You have to start somewhere.
  - fallingknife 6y ago
    So strap a rocket to one and find out. If it doesn't work grab another.
    - ggm 6y ago
      Having created literal mayhem in an unstable orbit of uncounted masses, ie for a giant externality. Next flight up, don't be within a large amount of space nearby in orbital terms, without care. (Maybe. Im not a kerbal person or an astronomer or flight engineer. This is a precautionary question to risk and to whom it applies)
      - mkl 6y ago
        Asteroids are very far apart from each other on the whole. Kicking one off in a different direction with a rocket isn't so different from a change in direction from a (rare) collision, except that it will almost certainly only affect one asteroid. ~25% of all the mass in the asteroid belt is the dwarf planet Ceres, which is only 0.0128 the mass of our moon. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ceres_(dwarf_planet) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ceres_(dwarf_planet)
      - simonh 6y ago
        There’s a vast amount of rubble flying about any which way up there already. About 100 tons of rock and dust enter the earths atmosphere every day, it’s just that space is so vast the chances of any of it hitting a vehicle are quite small.

The energy cost of changing something's orbit is not just mass times distance, otherwise launching a 1 metric tonne probe to Mars would have been impossible. Thanks to orbital dynamics, there are a lot of opportunities to get huge bang for your delta-V buck.

fallingknife 6y ago

Not true. Well timed gravitational slingshots have been used on many existing missions. e.g. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parker_Solar_Probe https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parker_Solar_Probe

ggm 6y ago
Of stable masses capable of analysis in advance to their mechanical properties under thrust. Asteroids are known solely by their orbital elements and we have literally no idea how the specific mass works as an aggregate or bonded entity, under load or stress.
- Dylan16807 6y ago
  You can line up a slingshot with a very low rate of acceleration, though.
  - ggm 6y ago
    Yes. I probably overstated my case. How quickly would that deliver a benefit?
    - simonh 6y ago
      It could take years for each mission, but of course at industrial scale you could have a continuous delivery queue and processing each asteroid could provide months or years worth of material. Think of each asteroid as a new mine being opened up. These initial missions are just proof of concept to test out techniques. You have to start somewhere.
- fallingknife 6y ago
  So strap a rocket to one and find out. If it doesn't work grab another.
  - ggm 6y ago
    Having created literal mayhem in an unstable orbit of uncounted masses, ie for a giant externality. Next flight up, don't be within a large amount of space nearby in orbital terms, without care. (Maybe. Im not a kerbal person or an astronomer or flight engineer. This is a precautionary question to risk and to whom it applies)
    - mkl 6y ago
      Asteroids are very far apart from each other on the whole. Kicking one off in a different direction with a rocket isn't so different from a change in direction from a (rare) collision, except that it will almost certainly only affect one asteroid. ~25% of all the mass in the asteroid belt is the dwarf planet Ceres, which is only 0.0128 the mass of our moon. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ceres_(dwarf_planet) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ceres_(dwarf_planet)
    - simonh 6y ago
      There’s a vast amount of rubble flying about any which way up there already. About 100 tons of rock and dust enter the earths atmosphere every day, it’s just that space is so vast the chances of any of it hitting a vehicle are quite small.