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The continuous-rod warhead in a Sidewinder will rip the hell out of an aircraft, which is made of tinfoil wrapped around complications. A rock from space, by co

The continuous-rod warhead in a Sidewinder will rip the hell out of an aircraft, which is made of tinfoil wrapped around complications. A rock from space, by contrast, is made out of rock wrapped around rock. Assuming charitably that the missile could generate an intercept, you would probably get some sparks, maybe more or less depending on how much of the rock is actually nickel and iron. But basically, the rock is a rock. An AIR-2 Genie likely wouldn't bother it all that much beyond maybe a surface glazing and some neutron activation. The most a Sidewinder will do is expensively nothing.

idlewords 4y ago
This site truly is where humor goes to die.
- throwanem 4y ago
  I didn't think I was keeping that straight a face. But on the other hand, now I get to check "twit Cegłowski" off my bucket list, and that's worth a joke falling a little bit flat.
  - gwillen 4y ago
    "Tinfoil wrapped around complications" is definitely going in my quotes file. Reads like James Mickens! (If that's what you were going for, well done. If not, go read his stuff immediately.)
    - throwanem 4y ago
      I'd never dream so high!
- CyanBird 4y ago
  [flagged]
  - throwanem 4y ago
    ...you said, to someone who's been here almost since here's been here.
- bl0rg 4y ago
  I thought it was pretty funny.
rvba 4y ago
There are bunker busters but most of them are conventional bombs, or cruise missiles (with a propeller). If they can bust few (double digit?) meters of concrete, they could bust a rock. Assuming they dont miss and assuming they dont slip. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bunker_buster https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bunker_buster Obviously it would have to be some combination of an anti sat missile (so it can fly in space) and a bunker buster (so it can crush throigh rock).
- roenxi 4y ago
  My physics is a bit rusty. Would that help? There is a rock with huge amounts of kinetic energy and you hit it with a bunker buster, then what? You've then got the same amount of mass (mass being conserved) and the same amount of energy (energy being conserved) on more or less the same trajectory. I'm not sure that counts as shooting it down. In the context of a celestial object usually "shoot it down" means "deflect it so it misses earth".
  - throwaway4aday 4y ago
    If you break it apart then you have more surface area to interact with the atmosphere.

idlewords 4y ago

This site truly is where humor goes to die.

throwanem 4y ago
I didn't think I was keeping that straight a face. But on the other hand, now I get to check "twit Cegłowski" off my bucket list, and that's worth a joke falling a little bit flat.
- gwillen 4y ago
  "Tinfoil wrapped around complications" is definitely going in my quotes file. Reads like James Mickens! (If that's what you were going for, well done. If not, go read his stuff immediately.)
  - throwanem 4y ago
    I'd never dream so high!
CyanBird 4y ago
[flagged]
- throwanem 4y ago
  ...you said, to someone who's been here almost since here's been here.
bl0rg 4y ago
I thought it was pretty funny.

rvba 4y ago

There are bunker busters but most of them are conventional bombs, or cruise missiles (with a propeller). If they can bust few (double digit?) meters of concrete, they could bust a rock. Assuming they dont miss and assuming they dont slip. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bunker_buster https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bunker_buster Obviously it would have to be some combination of an anti sat missile (so it can fly in space) and a bunker buster (so it can crush throigh rock).

roenxi 4y ago
My physics is a bit rusty. Would that help? There is a rock with huge amounts of kinetic energy and you hit it with a bunker buster, then what? You've then got the same amount of mass (mass being conserved) and the same amount of energy (energy being conserved) on more or less the same trajectory. I'm not sure that counts as shooting it down. In the context of a celestial object usually "shoot it down" means "deflect it so it misses earth".
- throwaway4aday 4y ago
  If you break it apart then you have more surface area to interact with the atmosphere.