From: Warrl kyree Tale'sedrin (warrl@blarg.net)
Date: Thu Jan 01 1998 - 14:48:16 MST
> From: John K Clark <johnkc@well.com>
> -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
>
> 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.
Assemble really huge power storage devices (batteries, capacitors,
whatever) and wrap them in something that will convert the re-entry
heat to electricity. Charge them up on the way down and then hook
them to the power grid for a while.
>
> John K Clark
> johnkc@well.com
>
> -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE-----
> Version: 2.6.i
>
> iQCzAgUBNKvFkn03wfSpid95AQETZwTw1NpRTO8Wpy6EJ+X2nUnPOpG4pVmjDJzx
> p83foesFOgEnteyOAQdhB5dWPiexRKtTNHca/QaI0U2R1IEKVxJLYXRcscUsPvna
> eOOVx8Kr4/s9u3ikICzRUmypUdhGc179/0ZGW1sBFXIUhcF2SjrgzBxP8grvz0Np
> 0+M7IpA5OH+XUWi+ufzlglhnTZMODSws8VPPWHrPVXVR/EgA6OY= =6mHU -----END
> PGP SIGNATURE-----
>
US$500 fee for receipt of unsolicited commercial email. USC 47.5.II.227
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.5 : Fri Nov 01 2002 - 14:48:22 MST