Comet Crashing

Dook · 2005-02-21 08:08:59

If we were to direct a comet into mars to create heat, increase it's mass, and add water and hopefully nitrogen, the comet Churyumov-Gasimenko might just be the best choice.

It's orbit inclination is only 7.12 degrees and takes it across mars orbit. This comet makes a return every 6.57 years so we just need to pick the best time then slow it down. It is 2 miles wide by 3 miles long.

If we slow it down too much though it would miss mars and it's orbit may just take it across the earth's so we would need to pick the correct time, when the earth and mars are far apart in their orbits and the comet and mars will come the closest.

Shaun Barrett · 2005-02-21 08:18:40

It doesn't sound big enough. ???

Dook · 2005-02-21 17:18:59

What do you want, Jupiter?

chat · 2005-02-21 17:35:38

Dook,

In my opinion the only way to heat Mars is with impacts.
Mars just needs a good atmospheric push to start itself changing.
All that mars needs is 1c at the poles to completely change the Martian climate.

Where to impact though?
North pole or the thought to be frozen sea near the equator?

Should it be a glancing blow? or a direct thump at 90 degrees?

2x3 miles will be a pretty good thump if the impact speed is high, and a good delivery of water and maybe nitrogen.
The impact is sure to release a lot of co2 in any scenario.

My personal favorite impact is to de orbit one of the 2 moons, a titanic impact occurs from either of them, but mars moon lovers hate the idea.

De orbiting a mars moon leaves no chance for a comet trajectory mistake though.

Dook · 2005-02-21 18:01:09

My personal preference is to keep the martian moons as well but it should be much easier to deorbit Deimos than catch and control a comet.

Crashing comets is tricky business. We would need to land a powerful nuclear rocket on one and slow it down enough so it meets with a moving mars. I wouldn't expect anything more than a direct hit anywhere, trying to guide it exactly into one of the poles seems like too much although it might be possible.

Accidentaly changing a comet's path so that it crosses the earth's path is a possibility but an actual impact on the earth would be so remote as to be negligable. If it were to happen we would probably have hundreds of years to fix it.

Ian Flint · 2005-02-22 15:30:26

I prefer a gentle approach, since thousands or millions of people will probably already be living all over Mars by the time they try to impact a comet.

Since it comes around every 6.57 years they should just chop off a couple of pieces every encounter and direct them to burn up in the atmosphere.

Dook · 2005-02-22 16:29:53

I would never approve of a mission to alter the course of a comet to approach mars with people living there. There is just not enough benefit for the risk. If we were to do it then it should be the first thing in the terraforming process.

1) Land there and search for life. Take soil samples to determine the feasability of terraforming. Is there enough carbon dioxide in the regolith?

2) Land a few more habitats, conduct more science, search for life, test out some domes and see how well the plants do.

Once we're reasonably sure that terraforming will work and a little more mass, water, and nitrogen are needed, abandon the bases and then attempt to crash a comet and Diemos into mars. Hopefully they will not come down on the base.

Also after more thought rather than slowing down the comet to cause a collision with mars, increasing its speed would be better. That way you can come around behind it, match speed, attach gently, and if you push too much the comets orbit widens taking it farther away from the earth but it will still come around again for another attempt.

chat · 2005-02-22 16:35:43

Ian Flint,

For the gentle approach to warming mars the surface of deimos is layered quite deep in black dust.

Transporting the dust to the Martian surface or to the atmosphere for mars to spread itself in a fine layer.
This will increase the temp of mars and keep the moon intact.

I guess it all depends on the plan for mars, should it ever be an earthlike place, or is it simply a goal to be able to walk on mars with just an air mask and radiation protection.

I think any big change in mars will require an equally big amount of energy, impacts are great energy converters.

If we wait for the day mars is already colonized then the impact scenario of any sort is a mute point.

For a real mars changing impact i think we need an asteroid or comet with lots of dark material in its makeup.

Still phobos or deimos are the best and easiest way to change the planet, but with some serious thought we might be able to keep the moons and use the resources on them to alter mars.

Once mars is warm enough it will be a wet place with a pretty good atmosphere, so going to all the trouble of looking for giant ice asteroids seems a waste, any impact will do just fine.

Lack of decent amounts of Nitrogen for food production.
And virtually no magnetic protection from radiation is a more serious problem to wandering around anyway

The radiation problem on a fully teraformed mars would still require domes or caves for food production and human habitation.
Seems silly to alter an entire planet, then live in domes because of the external radiation.

It would seem the only real goal for mars should be a warming of the planet, then let mars settle into its new configuration.

This approach works well for the colonists also as they can alter mars as they see fit, and in a martian decided time scale.

MarsDog · 2005-03-02 20:11:29

There are several large comet like bodies orbiting between Uranus and Neptune. Timing one to collide with another comet, in a momentum nulling way could create an ocean of cleaning fluids.

Hop · 2005-03-31 13:45:57

There are several large comet like bodies orbiting between Uranus and Neptune. Timing one to collide with another comet, in a momentum nulling way could create an ocean of cleaning fluids.

Most of the Centaur orbits are prograde. Crashing two prograde orbits wouldn't shed much angular momentum. If you were able to shed 3 km/sec or so via collision, I don't think you'd have an ocean of cleaning fluid but a cloud. With much of the gas molecules/plasma atoms having velocity greater than the small cometary body's escape velocity.

If you can get a body from this region to Mars, it'll be moving about 10 km/sec on arrival.

Trip times would be 30 years or so.

High velocity impacts could well blast loose more Martian atmosphere than the impactor contributes.

Why do people keep suggesting KBOs, Centaurs or comets? There are likely icey bodies at Jupiter's L4 and L5 points as well as the outer Main Belt. Since these are closer to Mars in Sol's gravity well, the delta vees are smaller.

New Mars Forums

Announcement

#1 2005-02-21 08:08:59

Re: Comet Crashing

#2 2005-02-21 08:18:40

Re: Comet Crashing

#3 2005-02-21 17:18:59

Re: Comet Crashing

#4 2005-02-21 17:35:38

Re: Comet Crashing

#5 2005-02-21 18:01:09

Re: Comet Crashing

#6 2005-02-22 15:30:26

Re: Comet Crashing

#7 2005-02-22 16:29:53

Re: Comet Crashing

#8 2005-02-22 16:35:43

Re: Comet Crashing

#9 2005-03-02 20:11:29

Re: Comet Crashing

#10 2005-03-31 13:45:57

Re: Comet Crashing

Board footer