Science & Technology - Posted by Shelly Leachman-UCSB on Friday, February 15, 2013 15:00 - 4 Comments 
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(2 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...Defense system uses sun to vaporize asteroids
"This system is not some far-out idea from Star Trek," Gary Hughes says. "All the components of this system pretty much exist today. Maybe not quite at the scale that we'd need—scaling up would be the challenge—but the basic elements are all there and ready to go." (Credit: "artist's concept of asteroid approaching Earth" via Shutterstock)
UC SANTA BARBARA (US) — As an asteroid roughly half as large as a football field readies for a fly-by of Earth on Friday, February 15, two scientists are unveiling a system that could—in one hour—eliminate a threat of this size.
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The text of this article by Futurity is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivatives License.
The same system could destroy asteroids 10 times larger than the one known as 2012 DA14 in about a year, with evaporation starting at a distance as far away as the Sun.
Philip M. Lubin, a physicist and professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and Gary B. Hughes, a researcher and professor from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, conceived DE-STAR, or Directed Energy Solar Targeting of Asteroids an exploRation, as a realistic means of mitigating potential threats posed to the Earth by asteroids and comets.
Concept drawing of the DE-STAR system engaging both an asteroid for evaporation or composition analysis, and simultaneously propelling an interplanetary spacecraft. (Credit: Philip M. Lubin)
“We have to come to grips with discussing these issues in a logical and rational way,” says Lubin, who began work on DE-STAR a year ago. “We need to be proactive rather than reactive in dealing with threats.
“Duck and cover is not an option. We can actually do something about it and it’s credible to do something. So let’s begin along this path. Let’s start small and work our way up. There is no need to break the bank to start.”
Described as a “directed energy orbital defense system,” DE-STAR is designed to harness some of the power of the sun and convert it into a massive phased array of laser beams that can destroy, or evaporate, asteroids posing a potential threat to Earth.
It is equally capable of changing an asteroid’s orbit—deflecting it away from Earth, or into the Sun—and may also prove to be a valuable tool for assessing an asteroid’s composition, enabling lucrative, rare-element mining. And it’s entirely based on current essential technology.
“This system is not some far-out idea from Star Trek,” Hughes says. “All the components of this system pretty much exist today. Maybe not quite at the scale that we’d need—scaling up would be the challenge—but the basic elements are all there and ready to go. We just need to put them into a larger system to be effective, and once the system is there, it can do so many things.”
The same system has a number of other uses, including aiding in planetary exploration.
In developing the proposal, Lubin and Hughes calculated the requirements and possibilities for DE-STAR systems of several sizes, ranging from a desktop device to one measuring 10 kilometers, or six miles, in diameter. Larger systems were also considered. The larger the system, the greater its capabilities.
For instance, DE-STAR 2—at 100 meters in diameter, about the size of the International Space Station (ISS)—”could start nudging comets or asteroids out of their orbits,” Hughes says.
But DE-STAR 4—at 10 kilometers in diameter, about 100 times the size of the ISS—could deliver 1.4 megatons of energy per day to its target, says Lubin, obliterating an asteroid 500 meters across in one year.
The speed of interplanetary travel—far beyond what is possible with chemical propellant rockets used today—could be increased with this sized system, according to Lubin. It could also power advanced ion drive systems for deep space travel, he says.
Able to engage multiple targets and missions at once, DE-STAR 4 “could simultaneously evaporate an asteroid, determine the composition of another, and propel a spacecraft.”
Larger still, DE-STAR 6 could enable interstellar travel by functioning as a massive, orbiting power source and propulsion system for spacecraft. It could propel a 10-ton spacecraft at near the speed of light, allowing interstellar exploration to become a reality without waiting for science fiction technology such as “warp drive” to come along, Lubin adds.
“Our proposal assumes a combination of baseline technology—where we are today—and where we almost certainly will be in the future, without asking for any miracles,” he explains. “We’ve really tried to temper this with a realistic view of what we can do, and we approached it from that point of view.
“It does require very careful attention to a number of details, and it does require a will to do so, but it does not require a miracle.”
Recent and rapid developments in highly efficient conversion of electrical power to light allow such a scenario now, Lubin notes, when just 20 years ago it would not have been realistic to consider.
“These are not just back-of-the-envelope numbers,” Hughes concurs. “They are actually based on detailed analysis, through solid calculations, justifying what is possible. And it’s all available under current theory and current technology.
“There are large asteroids and comets that cross the Earth’s orbit, and some very dangerous ones going to hit the Earth eventually,” he adds. “Many have hit in the past and many will hit in the future. We should feel compelled to do something about the risk. Realistic solutions need to be considered, and this is definitely one of those.”
Source: UC Santa Barbara
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4 Comments
Bill Jackson
Luiza Menezes
I like those ideas, both of them, and I believe its should be considered soon, not only by one government but by a world action against this treat… My only one concern is that it could be used as a weapon against a country, city or people here on earth… Because of this possibility we, the world need to consider this hypothesis as possible if it falls in wrong hands, this system would have to be super protected and in international hands…
Bill Jackson
I can think of no better way to ensure the failure of such a project than by placing it in international hands. The crooked joke we call the UN is ample evidence of this, with third world votes for sale to any and all.
(Doubt me? – whaling is but one example of this, there are others). The USA lacks the ability to raise $$ for this type of project, their pols prefer the money to be wasted on their back yards instead of put to good uses. A small consortium has merit, with enough multiplicity to ensure proper contarols is doable. What is probable is that China will decide this is a good idea and they simply go ahead and do it – who is to stop them. These reflectors can be used for humanitarion uses to reduce frosts that might damage crops, when used in a non concentrating mode.
As a side benefit, to help deal with global warming, a number of these reflectors could act to divert some of the sun’s rays from the earth – say 1-2%- It would take a lot. A counter suggestion might be to orbit some fine scattering media at L1, such as a fine powder of Carbon black or Zinc Oxide, a few hundred tons would scatter some % of the suns rays. The Solar wind would clear this over time if the particles were small enough that the solar wind would overcome the influence of the L1 forces. Larger particles would stay in L1 longer – even permanently(which we may not want), but larger particles provide less occlusion per ton of material. Possible a balance can be struck with microballoons? This might solve the warming problem.
Taissir Nouri
Physicists are the only true defenders of our existence.
The ability to orbit a large solar or nuclear power plant coupled to an array of lasers(which need not be phased or phase coherent collectirvely0 which will have an overall efficiency of well under 10% is probably 100 years in the future – if it is ever done.
That said, directly focussed energy from the sun by the use of a steerable and focusable plane of reflective mylar with an aluminium coating is far more easily achievable within a shorter term. a 1Km mirror will have a collecting aperture of about 785,000 square meters and will intercept about 1.5KW/MM and will reflect about 95% of this to give 1,118,625,000 watts of solar energy. this 1 Km diameter mirror with a d of 10mm will focus its energy at a point 6,250 KM away. with 2mm, 31,249 KM away. The diameter of the focal area will be somewhat larger than the object we wish to ablate, but this will allow for less precision in aiming. Automated systems will maintain the deflection and aiming of the reflector and the object will be heated to the point where it gradually evaporates over a prolonged period of time. A laser will have a smaller focal spot, and in time the system described by Lubin and Hughes will replace the relatively crude method I propose. This crude method could probably be fielded in 5-10 years with a national effort. It may be that a large bomb and/or thrustersent to the asteroid might be more efficnet methods of steering an asteroid away. Witha few years of time, a very modest thruster will change the orbital dynamics of the astreroid to remove the risk of impact.