Deflecting an asteroid, with paintballs

In the event that a giant asteroid is headed toward Earth, you'd better hope that it's blindingly white. A brightly colored asteroid would reflect sunlight — and over time, this bouncing of photons off its surface could create enough of a force to push the asteroid off its course.

How might one encourage such a deflection? The answer, according to an MIT graduate student: with a volley or two of space-launched paintballs.

Read more at MIT News: http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2012/de...

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  Science & Technology

[Rmag37]

Thank you Aperture.

[robotkillboy]

paintball, the only sport to potentialy save the planet, suck it airsoft!

[darkkeyplayer]

We have to use monsterballs

[BILLY BOB JOE]

PAINTBALLERS WILL SAVE THE WORLD !!!!

[Daniel Gonzalez]

@johano fiera. Suck it

[spicydragonz]

Wouldn't the impact of the 2nd wave create mini creators and debris that would cover the first side?

[Johano Fiera]

Haha, how does it feel to be second MIT? :)

[Alexander Popov]

Have any simulations been done?

Such approach would depend on so many things (time till impact, mass of the body, average surface being hit by the solar wind etc.)

[Aureus Sol]

Asians...