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How do we track them? How do we neutralise them and what can be done if one hits earth?
Dev is with Professor Chris Welsh discussing the answers to the questions his listeners have been asking about asteroids.
Asteroids are out there and as technology gets better we can see more of them and learn more about which ones are possible threats to earth.
With developing forward knowledge it's more possible than ever to consider how to nudge asteroids and alter their orbit to ensure they don't hit the earth and Chris explains how this works along with other fascinating information about asteroids in this content-packed episode.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- There are a number of ways to track asteroids – optical telescopes radar, infrared but the challenge is they are very small and often difficult to detect.
- As technology develops we are able to see more and more asteroids and the question always is which ones are a threat to earth?
- Asteroids are material left over from the creation of the universe
- There are both very large asteroids and those as small as a grain of sand
- If you have enough forward knowledge you can take action to nudge the orbit of the asteroid
- If there was an approaching asteroid you would use a more dynamic approach but in splitting the asteroid you risk creating a problem with multiple pieces
- The solar system was originally a cloud of gas which then formed an accretion disc
- Over time the atoms came together to form the sun and the other planets in the solar system
- When the asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs hit, a nuclear winter followed and only some animals survived
- The damage caused by an asteroid is dependent on its size
- There are lots of amateur astrologers around the world and it's an area where amateurs can still make significant contributions
BEST MOMENTS
‘If we can just nudge an asteroid and change its orbit we can avert it from hitting the earth'
‘Things that survive the fall to earth are heavier things'
‘If an asteroid is big enough it can cause damage'
VALUABLE RESOURCES
Full Throttle With Dervish podcast
https://www.linkedin.com/in/prof-chris-welch-6855121/
https://www.instagram.com/profchriswelch/
ABOUT THE GUEST
Chris Welch is a Professor of Astronautics and Space Engineering at the International Space University in Strasbourg, France, where he is Head of the Space Payloads Laboratory and Director of master's Programs. Although technically a physicist-turned-engineer, Chris sees himself more as a ‘spaceist', interested in all aspects of space. His current research interests are in space propulsion, microgravity science and planetary exploration.
Chris is President-elect and a Fellow of the British Interplanetary Society (BIS) and a former Vice-President of the International Astronautical Federation and a member of the European Commission H2020 Space Advisory Committee. He is a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society and the Royal Astronomical Society respectively and has been an advisor on two enquiries into UK space policy
Chris sits on a number of boards including the BIS, the World Space Week Association, the Aluna Foundation, the ROOM space journal and is an advisor to the Initiative for Interstellar Studies. He is also a Global Space Advisor to Space Hero.
Chris is a frequent commentator on space and astronautics and has made more than 300 television and radio broadcasts. He also has a significant track record in both space education/outreach and in higher education, receiving the 2009 Sir Arthur Clarke Award for Space Education and 2015 IAF Distinguished Service Award.
Among his other achievements are that he was one of the final twenty candidates for the 1991 UK-USSR Juno mission to the Mir space station, wrote what he believes to be the first-ever paper on extraterrestrial garden design and has a poem on the International Space Station.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/prof-chris-welch-6855121/
https://www.instagram.com/profchriswelch/
ABOUT THE HOST
Dervish is a Spacecraft Designer and a Mechanical Engineer by day and podcaster by night.
As a Spacecraft Designer, he has worked on some of the biggest space projects and is a creative engineering force always interested in projects that involve solving global challenges.
As a podcaster, he brings together fascinating stories and content from those who are at the heart of the classic and supercar worlds with a hint of design and engineering woven into the mix.
He has a passion for classic cars and supercars and has recently built his own Triumph TR3 junior electric car for his son. When he is not involved with cars he loves restoring antique and vintage items.
CONTACT DETAILS
https://www.patreon.com/user?u=43111944
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