4 ms·
You can certainly plan the detonation point.
by jhgb 5y ago
You can certainly plan the detonation point.
- mikewarot 5y agoMy point was what if you split it in half, and you only succeed in making one half arrive at the impact site slightly faster than the other half, instead of changing either direction at all?
- jhgb 5y agoAll you need to do is to ensure that there's not only the two halves involved. As long as some substantial mass escapes completely, it basically doesn't matter if the rest is split or not - conservation of momentum guarantees a substantial change in trajectory (at least relative to the accuracy requirements for Earth impact).
- mikewarot 5y agoOf course you're right if the thing isn't just about to hit earth, any change years in advance is almost guaranteed to help.