Nuking Asteroids

In the near future space exploration will ideally increase. We need tools for space. Nuclear bombs make great tools in space. They are lightweight and can deliver lots of energy. Other energy delivery tools in space may include lasers and kinetic impactors. These tools might be useful for deflecting asteroids, displacing mass, imparting energy, and/or adjusting momentum.

To deflect an asteroid, I believe nuclear bombs and kinetic impactors are the fastest two tools. Other deflection ideas like solar sails, gravity deflectors, and attaching booster rockets are large, slow, and/or massive. The European Space Agency is currently working on an asteroid momentum adjustment program using a kinetic impactor (Don Quijote probe).

Nuclear bombs are lightweight and powerful. I believe they make excellent tools in space. I believe in space exploration. I believe the use of this tool in space exploration is twentyish years away. The possible use of this tool in asteroid deflection could be anytime. I believe modern research is needed for the nuclear bomb tool. I believe if humans could deflect a global-killer asteroid, like that which caused the extinction of the dinosaurs, it would be one of life’s greatest accomplishments, ranking just below evolution.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asteroid-impact_avoidance

The nuking section of this wikipedia page cites Islands in Space (which I haven’t read) and Project Icarus, a 1968 MIT student project in systems engineering. Chapter 3: Nuclear detonation and interaction, references The Effects of Nuclear Weapons, Glasstone, for the effects of the bomb and interaction with the asteroid. I believe Glasstone's work is most applicable on earth. It does not discuss nuclear bombs in outer space. I believe the interaction of the bomb with the atmosphere is a significant difference between on-earth and in-space shots. At least two nuclear bombs have been detonated in space, but I do not know much about them.

So, perhaps someone should get a PhD: Modeling the interaction of nuclear bombs on asteroids, investigating methods to improve bomb efficiency using reflectors and existing craters, and/or updating chapter 3 of Project Icarus to include new models, new technology (better clocks, sensors).

-- Mike