Science Fiction
Dictionary
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
 |
Asteroids Threaten Earth? New Study Details Laser Ablation Method
A new study by American astronomers and physicists details a method for using a large phased-array laser to protect our planet from asteroids or comets.
In the absence of more than a few weeks of warning, a
very large stand-off DE-STAR system becomes the only
option. In addition to providing a last line of defense
against threats which have evaded detection until immediately
before impact, such a system may also provide
one of the few options for defense against long period
comets to which modern technology is often incapable of
reaching by spacecraft. With the support of a battery
system, the ablation range and thus effectiveness for a
stand-off system might conceivably be extended by a few
factors. Even so, a system of sufficient scale will likely
require decades to construct and so becomes a possibility
only in the more distant future.
(Via Orbital Simulations On Deflecting Near-Earth Objects By Directed Energy (pdf))
It seems to me that the writers of Star Trek TOS in the sixties envisioned something similar. Fans of Star Trek of course remember the classic episode The Paradise Syndrome, in which a mysterious obelisk protects a planet from destruction with an energy beam of incredible power.
Directed energy is a promising technology for planetary
defense. A modest stand-on DE-STARLITE mission of
just 1 MW (100 N), which fits within a single SLS Block 1
launch configuration, can deflect all known threats up to
500 m in diameter with 5 yr of laser activity. That same
system could deflect Tunguska- or Chelyabinsk-sized asteroids
in well under a year upon arrival at the asteroid.
With the strong dependence of deflection on laser active
time, a much smaller and less expensive system could be
equally effective given a decade or more of activity. Conversely,
stand-on systems are largely ineffective at de-
flecting targets on short notice due to the time required
for transit to the target asteroid.
(The Paradise Syndrome)
SPOCK: This obelisk is one huge deflector mechanism. It is imperative that we get inside immediately. Captain, we do not have much time.
KIRK: I don't know how to get inside.
SPOCK: If we are not able to gain entry and activate the deflector mechanism within the next fifty minutes, this entire planet will be destroyed.
KIRK: The key must be in these symbols. We've got to decipher them.
SPOCK: I already have to some extent, Captain. They are musical notes.
KIRK: You mean entry can be gained by playing certain notes on a musical instrument?
SPOCK: That would be one method. Another would be a series of tonal qualities spoken in their proper sequence.
KIRK: Give me your communicator. Tonal control, consonants and vowels. I must have hit it accidentally when I contacted the ship.
SPOCK: If you could remember your exact words, Captain.
KIRK: (flipping open the communicator) Kirk to Enterprise.
SCOTT: ON COMMUNICATOR- Aye, Captain. (The hatch slides open)
KIRK: Scotty, if the deflector isn't activated within twenty minutes, get out of orbit. Get the Enterprise out of the danger zone. The landing party is expendable. The Enterprise isn't. Kirk out...
IN THE OBELISK CHAMBER - SPOCK: It is similar to deflector panels I've seen, Captain, but far more complicated.
KIRK: Careful. I must have hit something accidentally. A beam caught me and that's when I stopped remembering.
SPOCK: Probably a memory beam. You must have activated it out of sequence.
KIRK: More symbols. Can you read them?
SPOCK: I do have an excellent eye for musical notes, Captain. They would seem to indicate that this series of relays activated in their proper order.
KIRK: Spock, just press the right button.(Spock presses the middle button of a row of three, and other sections light up. A blue beam shoots out of the top of the obelisk and pushes the asteroid away.)
Asteroid deflectors; as the Great Bird of the Galaxy has told us, every planet needs one.
Scroll down for more stories in the same category. (Story submitted 1/12/2016)
Follow this kind of news @Technovelgy.| Email | RSS | Blog It | Stumble | del.icio.us | Digg | Reddit |
Would
you like to contribute a story tip?
It's easy:
Get the URL of the story, and the related sf author, and add
it here.
Comment/Join discussion ( 0 )
Related News Stories - (" Space Tech ")
SpaceX EVA Spacesuit Tested By Polaris Dawn Crew
'Now, except for weight and heat, the same conditions prevail in this chamber as in space.' - Otto Willi Gail, 1929.
ESA To Build Moon Bases Brick By Printed LEGO Brick
'We made a crude , small cell and were delighted - and, I admit, somewhat surprised - to find it worked.' - John W. Campbell, 1950.
FLOAT Levitating Train On The Moon ala Clarke
'The low-slung monorail car, straddling its single track, bored through the shadows on a slowly rising course.' - Arthur C. Clarke, 1955.
SpaceX Intros Extravehicular Activity Suit
'Provision had been made to meet the terrific cold which we knew would be encountered the moment we had passed beyond the atmosphere.' - Garrett P. Serviss, 1898.
Technovelgy (that's tech-novel-gee!) is devoted to the creative science inventions and ideas of sf authors. Look for the Invention Category that interests you, the Glossary, the Invention Timeline, or see what's New.
Science Fiction
Timeline
1600-1899
1900-1939
1940's 1950's
1960's 1970's
1980's 1990's
2000's 2010's
Current News
Chaffeur Robot Musashi Will Drive Your Regular Car
'What would you do,' Eric asked the robot cabdriver, 'if your wife had turned to stone, your best friend were a toad, and you had lost your job?'
Space Exporers! Now, You Can Drink Your Own Urine
'those suits they wear -- call them 'stillsuits' -- that reclaim the body's own water...'
SpaceX EVA Spacesuit Tested By Polaris Dawn Crew
'Now, except for weight and heat, the same conditions prevail in this chamber as in space.'
Automatic Bot Traffic Is 38 Percent Of HTTP Requests
'there were so many worms and counterworms loose in the data-net...'
Shanghai Guidelines For Humanoid Robots
'Now, look, let's start with the three fundamental Rules of Robotics...'
Desktop TARS Robot From Interstellar
What's YOUR sarcasm setting?
Robots Can Now Have Smiling Faces With Human Skin
'I am a cybernetic organism...'
Virtual Rat Predicts Actual Rat Neural Activity
'..the synthetic intellects at the Place of Knowledge had far outstripped the minds of men.'
GoSun EV Solar Charger Drapes Onto Your Car
'...six square yards of sunpower screens.'
Rizon 4 Ironing Robot
'But after washing and drying clothes had to be smooth - free from fine lines and wrinkles ...'
Cognify - A Prison Of The Mind We've Seen Before In SF
'So I serve a hundred years in one day...'
Robot With Human Brain Organoid - 'A Thrilling Story Of Mechanistic Progress'
'A human brain snugly encased in a transparent skull-shaped receptacle.'
Goodness Gracious Me! Google Tries Face Recognition Security
'The actuating mechanism that should have operated by the imprint of her image on the telephoto cell...'
With Mycotecture, We'll Just Grow The Space Habitats We Need
'The only real cost was in the plastic balloon that guided the growth of the coral and enclosed the coral's special air-borne food.'
Can A Swarm Of Deadly Drones Take Out An Aircraft Carrier?
'The border was defended by... a swarm of quasi-independent aerostats.'
WiFi and AI Team Up To See Through Walls
'The pitiless M rays pierced Earth and steel and densest concrete as if they were so much transparent glass...'
