4 ms·

I read somewhere about the idea of sending white paint to coat one side this would cause one side to get hotter and cause the asteroid to spin sending it off co

• readyplayernull 3y ago
  The problem is that they rotate. Maybe an electronically controlled jet that triggers only when aligned in the right direction.
  • truculent 3y ago
    Presumably it would be more efficient to use jet to stabilise it, so that the painted deflector can take effect
    • zamadatix 3y ago
      If you can detect it early enough an absolutely miniscule amount of force can multiply over time to an enormous difference in position later on. Much less force than would be required to stop it from spinning or sending material to act as a deflector.
      • willmadden 3y ago
        You would want to design and test a vectoring nuclear thermal rocket built to absorb neutrons and reduce thrust on one side, and burn 100% on the other side, with the ability to gimbal the thrust vector depending on the asteroid's orientation. This gives you a much bigger margin of error versus "white paint" or conventional rockets imo. You probably wouldn't want to nuke it, because you risk buck shotting the earth with a cloud of asteroids. Having a vectored nuclear rocket also allows you to change your trajectory if your initial calculations are off.
        • willmadden 3y ago
          The other problem is propellent. I think using the material of the asteroid itself as propellent makes the most sense.