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An effective way to deflect an Earth-threatening asteroid.


Byline: ANI

Washington, April 17 (ANI): A scientist in the US has found an effective way to deflect an Earth-threatening asteroid, by attaching a long tether tether

to tie an animal up by the head or neck so that it can graze but not move away. See also barton tether.
 and ballast to the incoming object.

The theory has been put forward by David French David French was born in 1939. When David was six years old he moved to Toronto from Coley’s Point Newfoundland. During his young school years David was a sport fanatic, he did not enjoy the academic side of school. , a doctoral candidate in aerospace engineering at North Carolina North Carolina, state in the SE United States. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean (E), South Carolina and Georgia (S), Tennessee (W), and Virginia (N). Facts and Figures


Area, 52,586 sq mi (136,198 sq km). Pop.
 (NC) State University, US.

According to according to
prep.
1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians.

2. In keeping with: according to instructions.

3.
 French, by attaching the ballast, "you change the object's center of mass, effectively changing the object's orbit and allowing it to pass by the Earth, rather than impacting it."

NASA's Near Earth Object Program has identified more than 1,000 "potentially hazardous asteroids" and they are finding more all the time.While none of these objects is currently projected to hit Earth in the near future, slight changes in the orbits of these bodies, which could be caused by the gravitational grav·i·ta·tion  
n.
1. Physics
a. The natural phenomenon of attraction between physical objects with mass or energy.

b. The act or process of moving under the influence of this attraction.

2.
 pull of other objects, push from the solar wind, or some other effect could cause an intersection," French explained.

So French, and NC State Associate Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Andre Mazzoleni, studied whether an asteroid-tether-ballast system could effectively alter the motion of an asteroid to ensure it missed hitting Earth.

"The Earth has been hit by objects from space many times before, so we know how bad the effects could be," said French.

"Using a tether somewhere between 1,000 kilometers to 100,000 kilometers to divert an asteroid sounds extreme," he said.

But, French said that when you compare this theory to other schemes, it seems a far sensible approach.

That's because other schemes include: a call for painting the asteroids This is a list of numbered minor planets, nearly all of them asteroids, in sequential order.

As of late September 2007 there are 164,612 numbered minor planets, and many more not yet numbered. Most asteroids are ordinary and not particularly noteworthy.
 in order to alter how light may influence their orbit; a plan that would guide a second asteroid into the threatening one; and using nuclear weapons to blow up the asteroid. (ANI)

Copyright 2009 Asian News International The Asian News International (ANI) agency provides multimedia news to China and 50 bureaus in India. It covers virtually all of South Asia since its foundation and presently claims, on its official website, to be the leading South Asia-wide news agency.  (ANI) - All Rights Reserved.

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Publication:Asian News International
Date:Apr 17, 2009
Words:310
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