Can we destroy an asteroid with a high powered laser?

Babalimje · Dec 25, 2010

I was watching The Universe on National Geographic. If Apophis will strike on 2029, can they construct a laser powerful enough to maybe "Vaporize" the asteroid?

TTerbo · Dec 25, 2010

depends how hard you throw your laser at the thing

Coherent Light · Dec 25, 2010

The answer is a big NO! It might be possible to use a high power laser to vaporize a spot on the surface. That would generate a thrust to change the orbit of the asteroid, and push it out of the earth's path.

00Giorge · Dec 25, 2010

That's what missles are for.:san:

borgqueenx · Dec 25, 2010

no one watched 2012? i'd be afraid of that first. and if you are one person on the ark builded, or on the only continent that survived, then get something else to worry about becuase that asteroid is nonsense:
Apophis (planetoïde) - Wikipedia

00Giorge · Dec 25, 2010

Ya I am not to worried about it until April 12th 2029.

Meatball · Dec 26, 2010

If you've seen Macgyver, you know that lasers can apply "force" to your enemies.

Why not a silly asteroid?

Bionic-Badger · Dec 26, 2010

The appropriate thing to do is to mount rocket thrusters on it and push it out of orbit. Even nukes would only be useful to push it out of orbit as well, as you're not going to vaporize a quarter-km diameter chunk of rock with nukes or lasers.

borgqueenx · Dec 26, 2010

Well i think its possible to lase right through it, but i guess you need a laser of 100.000tW. (terrawatt)

Meatball · Dec 26, 2010

Bionic-Badger said:
The appropriate thing to do is to mount rocket thrusters on it and push it out of orbit. Even nukes would only be useful to push it out of orbit as well, as you're not going to vaporize a quarter-km diameter chunk of rock with nukes or lasers.

I agree with you, though considering the KE that such an asteroid would have leaves me thinking that we'll need bigger rockets.

IE KE=.5mv^2

:lasergun:

Lonewolf · Dec 26, 2010

Bionic-Badger said:
Even nukes would only be useful to push it out of orbit as well, as you're not going to vaporize a quarter-km diameter chunk of rock with nukes or lasers.

Coherent Light · Dec 26, 2010

Yea like Hollywood never gets it wrong or exaggerates.

Bionic-Badger · Dec 27, 2010

Coherent Light said:
Yea like Hollywood never gets it wrong or exaggerates.

I think it's hilarious seeing the amount of gravity they depict on the asteroid too.

Tikilaser said:
Almost there...http://laserpointerforums.com/f45/university-michigans-300-terawatt-laser-31485.html

Too bad it only discharges that much energy for 30 femtoseconds, and takes another 10 seconds to recharge. Even if it could operate a full second, you can still get an order of magnitude more energy out of a 1MT nuclear blast.

millirad · Dec 27, 2010

Yeah, you would probably do best to blow a 10MT nuke 50 miles from one side of the asteroid as that could push it at least a few degrees from it's path of impact. Just don't miss, otherwise you might turn a "maybe" impact into one that's guaranteed.

borgqueenx · Dec 27, 2010

Tikilaser said:
Almost there...http://laserpointerforums.com/f45/university-michigans-300-terawatt-laser-31485.html

And that was in '08.....I should go there tomorrow and just ask them, "Hey, how's the megaultrasuperepicspecialawesome laser going?" Then...."Can it pop a balloon? How about a gigantic rock balloon?"

apophis was once a 4 on the torino scale but was then downgraded to a one, then 0. Currently chances of impact are less than 0.1%.

sounds good. put anything in the beam, and its gone, including the ash

Cyparagon · Dec 27, 2010

Yeah. Because the law of conservation of matter is bologna.

Can we destroy an asteroid with a high powered laser?

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