Using a planet killer (Comet) to terraform Mars

PhotonBytes · 2025-01-28 18:46:39

For some reason I thought I already posted this topic and was surprised to find out I didnt. Maybe I did in a previous topic not about this so I'll create a fresh one now.

The idea here is to slow down a comet at Aphelion where it's the slowest by nuking it's surface with H bombs at it's bow the side where the comet is moving forward. This will vaporize the ice into steam and the steam will act as propellant to slow down the comet. For Halley's comet for example the Aphelion is 900m/s (0.9km/s) while it's perihelion is roughly 70km/s. By slowning down or speeding up a comet at aphelion where it's slowest you can alter the eccentricity of it's orbit and cause it to crash on a planet (sort of like a butterfly effect where small nudges cause big changes but not randomly). By causing a comet into the ice pole of Mars you can therefore liberate all that ice cap into restored atmosphere. We only need to do this for one of the Martian poles to restore preassure to Mars to roughly 0.8 bars. This is well within the Armstrong limit.

Why comet instead of Asteroids?
1) Comets have the potential and kinetic energy due to it's high orbit.
2) They have highly eliptical orbit allowing us to redirect at Aphelion
3) They have ice that act as propellant for our nukes providing thrust when H bombs are detonated.
4) Comets being comprised of ice (assuming on the out layers) allow for the possibility of nuking a nozzle to increase thrust effeciencies for subsequent ice varporizations.

Ideally we want Uranium taper Tzar bombs that have 100Megaton. With a dozen of these we can today cause Halleys comet to crash into Mercury if we wish. But for Mars Halley's is a bad candidate because the delta V would be 5km/s for Mars while under 0.9km/s for Mercury. There has already been a comet that almost hit Mars and NASA studied it's tail interacting with the planet. It could have been nudged slightly to hit the pole of the planet.

Here are the details:
https://photonbytes.com/2023/01/08/micr … r-on-mars/

DALL%C2%B7E-2024-01-17-02.38.33-A-comet-striking-the-North-Pole-of-Mars-capturing-the-moment-of-impact.-The-image-showcases-a-dramatic-and-fiery-collision-with-the-comet-ablaze-in--768x439.png

DALL%C2%B7E-2024-12-07-22.54.46-A-highly-detailed-depiction-of-a-large-comet-in-deep-space-with-a-transparent-plasma-like-spherical-nuclear-explosion-occurring-nearby.-The-comet-has.png

Altering orbital trajectory:

Artificial Nozzle Created by previous bombardments increasing efficiency for subsquent nuclear ice vaporization thrusts.

Tsar_Bomba_Revised_User-Croquant-with-modifications-by-User-Hex-Own-work-CC-BY-SA-3.0-via-Wikimedia-Commons.jpg
DALL%C2%B7E-2024-12-07-23.20.05-A-dramatic-depiction-of-the-north-pole-of-Mars-after-being-struck-by-a-comet.-The-impact-crater-is-glowing-with-intense-heat-releasing-massive-plumes.png
DALL%C2%B7E-2024-12-07-23.20.13-A-dramatic-scene-of-the-north-pole-of-Mars-after-being-struck-by-a-comet.-The-impact-crater-glows-intensely-releasing-massive-plumes-of-vapor-gas-a.png
DALL%C2%B7E-2024-12-07-23.25.26-A-stunning-depiction-of-Mars-with-its-surface-now-covered-in-vast-oceans-and-lakes.-The-once-dry-and-red-orange-Martian-landscape-is-transformed-into-.png

Last edited by PhotonBytes (2025-02-02 00:16:14)

tahanson43206 · 2025-01-28 19:32:44

The title of this new topic is generic enough to permit consideration of a non-violent use of the materials from one or more comets to gently terraform Mars over an extended period of time.

This post is reserved for an index to posts that may be contributed by NewMars members over time.

When the Solar System was younger there were lots of violent collisions, but now we have the opportunity to work with the Universe to build environments that are beneficial to humans and other Earth-life.

We have plenty of energy available from the Sun. We are using only a tiny bit of the outpouring of energy.

We humans are ** still ** living off the yolk of the egg that the Universe provided, but at least a few humans are thinking about how to wean ourselves off the store that we've inherited.

If we humans have the power to move a comet, let's just quietly disassemble it and use the materials in a gradual, controlled manner.

(th)

PhotonBytes · 2025-02-23 03:07:30

I have integrated the process of decelerating Halley's comet to hit Mercury, Venus or the Sun. Mars is not a good target for Halley's.The idea of these calculations proves that man can use comets to hit planets deliberately

Email to NASA's NIAC Ron Turner:
"Below is a conversation I had with AI about self scalping nozzle that you might be interested in because comets being made of ice means that we can create our own nozzles to increase detonation coupling efficiency. I had a deeper look at the related papers for PI defence, it looks like it could work even better if they were on a stratospheric platform that way they wont get destroyed by the incoming comet on Mars if they are thousands of km away from ground zero at a high altitude say 10km. In fact this system if done the same way on Earth on floating airships will give them higher efficiency as they are launched above the troposphere and have clearer line of sight to the target with sensors not occluded by clouds."

ChatGBT:

Me:
I was thinking that each dotonation would leave a crater and then a crater within a crater and eventually we end up with a practical nozzle so that we can eventually get close to 80% coupling

AI:
Reasoned for a second
That’s a concept sometimes referred to as a “self-sculpting nozzle.” With each successive detonation, a crater deepens and takes on a more “bell-shaped” or “nozzle-like” profile. This shape can, in theory, capture more of the bomb’s energy and direct it into vaporizing cometary material, thereby increasing the coupling efficiency.
How It Might Work
Initial Detonations:
The first few blasts are not very efficient, as a large fraction of energy escapes into space.
However, each explosion excavates a crater, exposing fresh surface area and potentially creating walls that reflect or contain a portion of the blast.
Progressive Shaping:
As the crater gets deeper and narrower, later explosions occur in a sort of “cavity.”
This geometry acts like a convergent or bell nozzle, helping to direct more of the expanding gases and energy back onto the comet’s surface rather than letting them radiate away spherically.
Higher Coupling:
With a more focused geometry, you can approach higher fractions of energy coupling—some studies speculate up to 80%—because the energy is partially contained and directed into the comet.
The repeated blasts effectively reduce losses to open space.
Challenges to Consider
Structural Stability: There’s a risk of shattering or fragmenting the comet if the blasts become too powerful or the crater becomes unstable.
Precise Placement: Each detonation must be positioned carefully so it doesn’t just punch a hole out the opposite side, losing the chance to build a self-enclosed cavity.
Material Properties: If the comet is extremely porous or loosely bound, it may not form neat crater walls; the material could just slump in or break apart.
Feasibility
While theoretically plausible, the “self-sculpting nozzle” approach is complex. In practice, engineers would have to carefully tune:
Bomb yields,
Placement depths,
Timing between detonations,
to incrementally shape the crater without destroying the comet. But as a thought experiment, it’s a fascinating way to push coupling efficiency beyond the simpler estimates of 30–50%.

For Halley's comet you need a different comet with a different trajectory.

To prevent the strike on Mars from becoming too violent it can be pulverised using this method of desteroying near Earth Asteroids
https://www.nasa.gov/general/pi-planetary-defense/

tahanson43206 wrote:

The title of this new topic is generic enough to permit consideration of a non-violent use of the materials from one or more comets to gently terraform Mars over an extended period of time.
This post is reserved for an index to posts that may be contributed by NewMars members over time.
When the Solar System was younger there were lots of violent collisions, but now we have the opportunity to work with the Universe to build environments that are beneficial to humans and other Earth-life.
We have plenty of energy available from the Sun. We are using only a tiny bit of the outpouring of energy.
We humans are ** still ** living off the yolk of the egg that the Universe provided, but at least a few humans are thinking about how to wean ourselves off the store that we've inherited.
If we humans have the power to move a comet, let's just quietly disassemble it and use the materials in a gradual, controlled manner.
(th)

Last edited by PhotonBytes (2025-02-23 03:22:53)

Calliban · 2025-02-23 11:43:36

That is a neat idea. In addition to the volatiles delivered by the impactor, the rocks beneath the impact site will be hot for millenia to come. This could be a useful source of power on either Mars or Mercury. Although Mercury is close to the sun, the long night is a problem for power supply. Having a stored heat source would help a lot.

PhotonBytes · 2025-02-23 23:10:28

So we will now not need preassure suits nor jumpers! Just a scuba tank and regulator for the oxygen while photosynthesis does its thing when we plant trees and algae in liquid water lakes.

Calliban wrote:

That is a neat idea. In addition to the volatiles delivered by the impactor, the rocks beneath the impact site will be hot for millenia to come. This could be a useful source of power on either Mars or Mercury. Although Mercury is close to the sun, the long night is a problem for power supply. Having a stored heat source would help a lot.

Last edited by PhotonBytes (2025-02-23 23:10:44)

New Mars Forums

Announcement

#1 2025-01-28 18:46:39

Using a planet killer (Comet) to terraform Mars

#2 2025-01-28 19:32:44

Re: Using a planet killer (Comet) to terraform Mars

#3 2025-02-23 03:07:30

Re: Using a planet killer (Comet) to terraform Mars

#4 2025-02-23 11:43:36

Re: Using a planet killer (Comet) to terraform Mars

#5 2025-02-23 23:10:28

Re: Using a planet killer (Comet) to terraform Mars

Board footer