4 ms·
The concept isn't new -- it's called kinetic bombardment[1]. Generally speaking, the amount of damage for a tungsten rod the size of a telephone pole would mat
by ihsw 13y ago
The concept isn't new -- it's called kinetic bombardment[1].
Generally speaking, the amount of damage for a tungsten rod the size of a telephone pole would match low-yield atomic detonations.
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinetic_bombardment http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinetic_bombardment
- peeters 13y agoInteresting concept, but I wonder about the economics. A telephone pole has a volume of about 3 million cubic centimetres. Tungsten's density is ~20 g/cm^3, so we're talking about 60 000 kilograms of tungsten. At around $40/kg, that's ~2.5 million dollars per rod just in raw materials. But that's ignoring the cost of bringing a 60 metric ton rod into orbit, of course. You'd need a Falcon Heavy launch per rod, ignoring the problematic dimensions (let's assume you can cold weld a few pieces together in space). That's at least another $60 million per rod for the launch costs.
- jimktrains2 13y agoJust toss some "small" asteroids down then. (More an issue once we get to the point of interplanetary war, but still cheaper than manufacturing pure tungsten rods).
- morsch 13y ago60t of lead, on the other hand, will go for a mere 120k USD, at about double the volume. Not sure if the effect will be the same (it certainly sounds like a good way to poison vast swathes of land).