Defending the Earth: Giant Asteroid

[薔薇語]

Re: Defending the Earth: Giant Asteroid

 

The Rose.

 

Well being wholely unable to do anything on a personal lever to effect this, he would use his mass fortune to assemble and finance a exploritory team to design a method of fixing this. While holding constant press confrences to insure the public tranquility durring this trying time. Third and most important, finance a second super team to explore ways of teleporting him, his stuff, and a few good old flings to a brand new, astaroid free planet where he and them can go forth the busisness of repopulating the Human race. If for some reason plan A to C don't work, in the final minutes prior to the death of Earth He would Desperately attempt to Teleport to another planet. This is a real strech of his powers, even though he has a megascale jump it isn't on a stelar level.

 

la Rose

[Metaphysician]

Re: Defending the Earth: Giant Asteroid

 

Microman II: Can't do anything directly to the asteroid, but between Horus-Re, Starguard, Warp, and Princess Cyrande, there's really no need. OTOH, I'm sure those aliens have computer systems for him to hack, and machinery for him to destroy.

 

Diomedes: Is so out of his league it isn't funny. Reports it to Horus-Re, UNTIL, and whatnot, and hopes for the best. If he for whatever reason ends up in an alien war stronghold. . . well, he'll do his best.

 

Hermes: Substituting oracular prescience or such for a means to spot the incoming asteroid, as nobody really has radio. . . his interest in space travel could help, a lot. What with building life support and transport vessels and such. Realistically, though, once the problem is known, the asteroid probably gets destroyed by someone openning a gate out to it, and then the Champion of Ra blowing it up.

 

Mereneptah: Similar to Hermes, except without the space travel interest. If the situation absolutely required him to deal with it personally, though, he'd have a shot at destroying or redirecting the asteroid through weeks spent transmuting it into explosives, then blowing it up. This presumes no active interference, though.

[The Weapon]

Re: Defending the Earth: Giant Asteroid

 

Version One would tell those of his friends that could do something about it. He'd come along on their spaceship in case the aliens tried to take it over but other than that he's no direct help. As founder of the galaxies only earth food resturant chian he can offer other aliens all the Earth delicasies they can eat in return for their help. Imagine of a 100 ton Tyrannosaurus Rex look alike with a napkin and the waiter saying "he's in the mood for truffles again" while Version One looks on in horror.

[SSgt Baloo]

Re: Defending the Earth: Giant Asteroid

 

Imagine of a 100 ton Tyrannosaurus Rex look alike with a napkin and the waiter saying "he's in the mood for truffles again" while Version One looks on in horror.

 

 

Golden! Repped.

[Gemphyre]

Re: Defending the Earth: Giant Asteroid

 

A powerful radio signal overpowers Earth's communications networks. The apparent source is somewhere outside our solar system. The signal gives detailed information regarding an enormous planetoid directed at the Earth by aliens hostile to our planet. If it strikes us' date=' all life is doomed (view this visual aid to get an idea of what they're talking about). The message senders claim they are unable to interfere more directly than this, as communication with the Earth is banned by treaty. Still, they thought it was only polite to let us know even if they do get in trouble for it.

 

The nations of the Earth gather top scientists to verify the problem, and a previously undetected asteroid 450 KM in diameter is determined to be on a collision course with Earth. The collision is 90 days away. What does your character do?

 

 

 

I am somewhat surprised that nobody has mentioned this.

 

Pick up the phone and call Dr. Destroyer.

"Say Doctor D., have you been watching the news lately? Yes? Then you know about the asteroid about to do a dinosaurs number on us. Well, you can't very well take over the world if the world has been physically destroyed, can you? What's that? Do I think that the world governments would help you upgrade a weapon of yours to deal with the problem? I think that they probably would, if you approached them right. You'll do it. Thanks."

Hang up.

"That should keep him busy for a week or two."

 

"Sometimes, the simplest solutions are the best ones. And when all else fails, delegate."

 

Gemphyre

[Metaphysician]

Re: Defending the Earth: Giant Asteroid

 

I am somewhat surprised that nobody has mentioned this.

 

Pick up the phone and call Dr. Destroyer.

"Say Doctor D., have you been watching the news lately? Yes? Then you know about the asteroid about to do a dinosaurs number on us. Well, you can't very well take over the world if the world has been physically destroyed, can you? What's that? Do I think that the world governments would help you upgrade a weapon of yours to deal with the problem? I think that they probably would, if you approached them right. You'll do it. Thanks."

Hang up.

"That should keep him busy for a week or two."

 

"Sometimes, the simplest solutions are the best ones. And when all else fails, delegate."

 

Gemphyre

 

Given one of his plots involved *throwing apocalyptic asteroids at Earth*, I'm not sure if Dr Destroyer is the best guy to call in to help. . .

[Gemphyre]

Re: Defending the Earth: Giant Asteroid

 

Given one of his plots involved *throwing apocalyptic asteroids at Earth*' date=' I'm not sure if Dr Destroyer is the best guy to call in to help. . .[/quote']

 

Good point. But then, I did not know about that plot of his.

 

Gemphyre

[Guest Major Tom]

Re: Defending the Earth: Giant Asteroid

 

There's also the fact that, if Dr. D were to lend his assistance to such an

endeavor, the heroes (and the rest of the world) would see a spot on the 6 O'

Clock News about Dr. D and a small corps of lawyers showing up at the U.N.

saying something to the effect of "Now, about my fee..."

 

 

 

Major Tom

[Basil]

Re: Defending the Earth: Giant Asteroid

 

With a radius of 450 km, visible to the best Earth instruments but not detected before the warning---well, I'm taking a S.W.A.G. and saying it's 25 AU out. At that distance, Earth subtends 0.7 arcseconds. That's a tiny target.

 

If the planetoid is 25 AU out and will hit in 90 days, it's already travelling like a bat out of hell, and will accelerate as it approaches the Sun. Indeed, if it weren't for collisions, it would travel in a hyperbola--a very flat hyperbola. Thus, it will not take that much effort to get it off course, and it needs only a slight change of angle to miss the Earth.

 

It is probably wise to make sure it misses the Sun as well, since the effects of a collision are hard to predict, and might be very unfortunate.

 

It might be a good idea to see to it that it doesn't hit anything else, as the increase in "loose bits" could eventually lead to a (much smaller but still worrisome) later collision with the Earth.

 

In short, getting something or someone to the planetoid that can push sideways, even a rather small amount, would be sufficient. It would be wise to communicate with NASA or ESA or similar to find out how much pushing, and in which direction, is needed, especially to miss the Sun and all other sizable bodies.

 

Nuclear weapons are a foolish idea; instead of "dodging the bullet," Earth would need to "dodge a tight-patterned load of shot". Exploding a A-bomb or H-bomb near the planetoid is useless, as there's no air or other medium to transmit a shockwave.

 

OTOH, a few large rocket engines would work fine, so long as you could get the fuel out to them, if you can "strap them onto" some useful spot; if the planetoid is "chaotically tumbling" the problem gets much worse.

 

Still, it's not that big a problem so long as you have some way to get needed resources 25 or so AU out in a matter of a few days.

 

 

PS: Yes, CrosshairCollie is right; speeding up the planetoid is a way to deflect it. However, it would not be as effective a method for making sure it misses the Sun.

[Drhoz]

Re: Defending the Earth: Giant Asteroid

 

 

It is probably wise to make sure it misses the Sun as well, since the effects of a collision are hard to predict, and might be very unfortunate.

 

Why bother? the Kreutz Sungrazers are plowing into the sun all the time, and there's been hundreds of them

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kreutz_Sungrazers

[Basil]

Re: Defending the Earth: Giant Asteroid

 

Why bother? the Kreutz Sungrazers are plowing into the sun all the time, and there's been hundreds of them

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kreutz_Sungrazers

 

Well, considering that (AFAICT) it's only the smaller ones that impact, that comets are much less dense than asteroids (esp. 450 km diameter asteroids), and that the article doesn't mention whether solar flares or other outbursts have occurred after an impact, I still think caution is advised.

 

After all, it wouldn't take much more effort to miss the Sun than to miss the Earth, why not do so?

[TheRavenIs]

Re: Defending the Earth: Giant Asteroid

 

The Traveler and he's team of galactic-champion level, uses powers to alter the direction so it is now moving back along it's original flight path as they use powers to create a micro-worm hole large enough to allow the thing to enter and then leave as it is now heading back the way it came.

[Drhoz]

Re: Defending the Earth: Giant Asteroid

 

Well, considering that (AFAICT) it's only the smaller ones that impact, that comets are much less dense than asteroids (esp. 450 km diameter asteroids), and that the article doesn't mention whether solar flares or other outbursts have occurred after an impact, I still think caution is advised.

 

After all, it wouldn't take much more effort to miss the Sun than to miss the Earth, why not do so?

 

plowing it into the sun makes for a good splash panel in the last few pages of that issue

 

(also, it means the aliens don't get an opportunity to push it *back* onto course)

[Drhoz]

Re: Defending the Earth: Giant Asteroid

 

Of course really cunning aliens would stash some Baxterium in the asteroid, so if it DOES get redirected into the Sun, the Sun dies.

[Metaphysician]

Re: Defending the Earth: Giant Asteroid

 

Eh, 450 km across? Unless specifically planted for such purpose, nukes won't fragment the thing. You would need to do some clever-ish stuff to get a nuke to meaningfully move the thing, though. Or maybe not; after all, setting off a bunch of nukes near or on the thing is basically same principle as an Orion type pulse engine. . .

[death tribble]

Re: Defending the Earth: Giant Asteroid

 

Turning this thing on its head I want to go on record as I like the idea of a Giant Asteroid defending the Earth.

[SSgt Baloo]

Re: Defending the Earth: Giant Asteroid

 

Turning this thing on its head I want to go on record as I like the idea of a Giant Asteroid defending the Earth.

 

I'm sure Giant-Asteroid-Man would have a difficult time maintaining a secret identity. "Disguised as a mild-mannered mountain range, Giant-Asteroid-Man fights a never-ending battle for truth, justice, and the American landscape."

[BNakagawa]

Re: Defending the Earth: Giant Asteroid

 

Mittens is being courted by a dimension hopping young man of noble lineage who is looking better and better as the asteroid approaches...

[Hyper-Man]

Re: Defending the Earth: Giant Asteroid

 

I'm sure Giant-Asteroid-Man would have a difficult time maintaining a secret identity. "Disguised as a mild-mannered mountain range' date=' Giant-Asteroid-Man fights a never-ending battle for truth, justice, and the American landscape."[/quote']

 

Takes x2 damage from Strip Malls and Subdivisions!

[Basil]

Re: Defending the Earth: Giant Asteroid

 

plowing it into the sun makes for a good splash panel in the last few pages of that issue

 

"Splash" may be the operative word.

 

I don't think I'd want parts of the Sun splashing out into space.

[Starlight]

Re: Defending the Earth: Giant Asteroid

 

Starlight: Again? Been there. Done that. She flies out to the asteroid belt. Selects a nice chunky rock about ten tons and accelerates it to about 0.9c on an intercept course. Then she lets it go and bugs out pronto. This last part is important and should not be forgotten.

 

Doctor Wyrd: Spends a little time with his spell books doing research. Comes the time when the giant asteroid is about to hit he casts the spell he's researched and turns the entire Earth desolid. (Yay for area of effect and megascale. Although this is slightly questionable by the rules as written our GM would give it a nod on the coolness value alone.)

[Egyptoid]

Re: Defending the Earth: Giant Asteroid

 

Doctor Wyrd: casts the spell he's researched and turns the entire Earth desolid. (Yay for area of effect and megascale. Although this is slightly questionable by the rules as written our GM would give it a nod on the coolness value alone.)

 

 

:)from now on, you're in charge of the whole group.

[The Weapon]

Re: Defending the Earth: Giant Asteroid

 

Given one of his plots involved *throwing apocalyptic asteroids at Earth*' date=' I'm not sure if Dr Destroyer is the best guy to call in to help. . .[/quote']

 

So he knows what can go wrong with the plan. Sounds like he's the guy to call!

[Basil]

Re: Defending the Earth: Giant Asteroid

 

Starlight: Again? Been there. Done that. She flies out to the asteroid belt. Selects a nice chunky rock about ten tons and accelerates it to about 0.9c on an intercept course. Then she lets it go and bugs out pronto. This last part is important and should not be forgotten.

 

Not if the campaign is even vaguely rigorous in its science.

 

At 0.9c the mass of your projectile's mass increases to a bit less than 23 tons, but let's use 23 tons anyway.

 

In a collision, much of the kinetic energy is transformed to heat, vibration, and other forms of energy. But momentum is conserved. Your projectile has a momentum of about 6.206 * 10^12 kg-m/sec.

 

The planetoid, if its specific gravity is 3.5 (a typical value for rock), and it's a sphere (a reasonable assumption for something that size) has a mass of ~1.336 * 10^18 kg. If it moves 25 AU in 90 days, its average velocity is ~481,000 m/sec. This gives it a momentum of ~6.426 * 10^23 kg-m/sec based on average velocity.

 

Thus, Starlight's projectile has a momentum ~9.658 * 10^-12 that of the planetiod. That is, it's 1/103,541,000,000 as much. Might as well knock a battleship aside with a gnat.

 

Admittedly, if you are trying to "bust up" the planetoid, she'll accomplish that. Her projectile has ~8.372 * 10^20 Joules of kinetic energy; this is about the total energy of a 200 gigaton nuclear bomb. However, the effects will not be all that comparable, and anyway you'd land up with the "shotgun vs. rifle" problem I mentioned before.

 

Anyway, if she can get 10 tons up to 0.9c, I'm sure she can nudge a zettagram or so sideways at a millimeter/sec for a few hours, a few days in a row. That should probably do the job.

[Wanderer]

Re: Defending the Earth: Giant Asteroid

 

Well, Nova is pretty much a slightly powered-down Silver Surfer clone, so I suppose he flies in space and teams up with other cosmic powerhouses to blow up the asteroid or push it away. Standard fare. Next ?