On the explosive prevention of collisions of asteroidal and cometary bodies with the earth at their late detection

Abstract

We consider the questions of an explosive impact on asteroids and comets that approach the Earth in the case of a late forecast of the dangerous situation. Based on models for the destruction of the material of a celestial body in the shock wave produced by a strong self-buried explosion, we estimate the radius of the destroyed region, the ejected mass, and the recoil momentum. We determine the charges needed to completely destroy bodies of various sizes and compositions or to divert bodies from the Earth by the required distance. When comets are dangerous bodies, we compare the efficiencies of the explosive and sublimation methods of changing their orbits. We discuss how to increase the efficiency of the explosive impact on a dangerous body through the use of a high relative velocity of the encounter between this body and a charge-carrying rocket.