A spacecraft could deflect an Earth-bound asteroid without having to dock to its surface first.
Abstract
We present a design concept for a spacecraft that can controllably alter the trajectory of an Earth-threatening asteroid by using gravity as a towline. The spacecraft hovers near the asteroid, with its thrusters angled outwards so that the exhaust does not impinge on the surface. This proposed deflection method is insensitive to the structure, surface properties and rotation state of the asteroid.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 51 print issues and online access
$199.00 per year
only $3.90 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Chapman, C. R. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 222, 1–15 (2004).
Schweickart, R. L., Lu, E. T., Hut, P. & Chapman, C. R. Sci. Am. 289, 54–61 (2003).
Scheeres, D. J. & Schweickart, R. L. The Mechanics of Moving Asteroids (paper 2004–1446, Am. Inst. Aeronaut. Astronaut., 2004).
Chesley, S. R. & Spahr, T. B. in Mitigation of Hazardous Comets and Asteroids (eds Belton, M. J. S. et al.) 22–37 (Cambridge Univ. Press, Cambridge, 2004).
Carusi, A., Valsecchi, G. B., D'Abramo, G. & Boatini, A. Icarus 159, 417–422 (2002).
JPL Sentry Impact Risk Page http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/risk
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Competing interests
The authors declare no competing financial interests.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Lu, E., Love, S. Gravitational tractor for towing asteroids. Nature 438, 177–178 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1038/438177a
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/438177a
This article is cited by
-
Biodiesel production using a novel surface functionalized biomass residue solid green catalyst
Biomass Conversion and Biorefinery (2024)
-
Sulfonated graphene nanomaterials for membrane antifouling, pollutant removal, and production of chemicals from biomass: a review
Environmental Chemistry Letters (2023)
-
Equilibria in an accelerated three-body problem
Celestial Mechanics and Dynamical Astronomy (2023)
-
Painting Asteroids for Planetary Defense
The Journal of the Astronautical Sciences (2022)
-
Synthesis and Initial Evaluation of Solid Acid Catalyst Derived from Spent Coffee Grounds for the Esterification of Oleic Acid and Methanol
Waste and Biomass Valorization (2021)
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.