Deflecting asteroids with paint balls
« Back to Article
An artist's concept of the asteroid Apophis (Image ESA)
Artist's concept of Apophis being hit with paintballs (Image: MIT)
Coating an asteroid with paint would increase its albedo and turn it into a solar sail (Image: MIT)
Article Summary
How do you deflect a civilization-destroying asteroid that's heading straight for Earth? Shoot paintballs at it. This may sound like an exercise in futility, but if the calculations of MIT graduate student Sung Wook Paek are correct, then the sport of running around in the woods shooting splotches of paint at people on the weekends could get a lot more respect.
« Back to Deflecting asteroids with paint balls
Other Images from this Gallery
Related Articles
-
Asteroid deflection schemes go green with solar-powered laser spacecraft
18th June, 2012
-
Laser-wielding satellite swarm to deflect asteroids
27th March, 2012
-
Sentinel mission to place asteroid-hunting telescope into orbit around the Sun
30th June, 2012
-
NASA's Dawn spacecraft sets sail for Ceres
7th September, 2012
-
NASA's Dawn probe sets its sights on dwarf planet Ceres
31st August, 2012
-
NASA’s Dawn spacecraft unlocks secrets of giant asteroid
15th May, 2012
