On Wed, 31 Dec 1997 "Michael M. Butler" <butler@comp*lib.org> Wrote:
>I read an Analog speculative-fact article about foaming asteroidal
>NiFe into (big, you bet) lifting bodies with a reasonable
>(comparable to human free fall--ca. 200 MPH) terminal velocity [...]
>aero heating should stay well below the level at which any metal
>would burn off.
But that doesn't really address the problem. A lifting body would give you
more control over where it hit the ground, but if a huge fast moving object
is to come to a stop then the colossal kinetic energy in it must be
transferred as heat to the Earth or its atmosphere. I'd rather rock absorb
that mammoth force than the air, and if was a really big asteroid it wouldn't
matter where it hit the ground.
John K Clark johnkc@well.com
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