Zapping Rocks with Lasers Saving the World by Destroying Space Invaders

摘要

IN THE NOT-SO-DISTANT future, if an asteroid is on a collision course with Earth, we might choose the Star Wars solution to that problem: dispatch several spacecraft to swarm around the asteroid and zap it with lasers. In contrast to the solution in the film, however Red Leader doesn't need of Strathclyde in Scotland to investigate this promising but understudied possible asteroid deflection technique, often called surface ablation. Because it would involve several small spacecraft firing lasers, this project is called Laser Bees. (It used to be called Mirror Bees, but that is so last disadvantages. Laser Bees are intriguing because studies indicate they may offer the ability to move asteroids comparatively quickly. Much work must be done to determine if this really pans out, and that is where the Laser Bees project comes in.