Bright Ideas - A New Spin on Tetherball
In the event that a comet or asteroid comes hurtling toward Earth, NC State researchers could be responsible for saving the entire planet.
As you read this, NASA scientists are keeping an eye on more than 1,000 potentially hazardous asteroids flying around the galaxy.
We’re ready to help – thanks to Dr. David French, who has determined that an anchor-like, tether-ballast system could be attached to the incoming object, changing its orbit and sending impending doom flying past Earth instead of into it.
“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 pull of other objects, push from the solar wind, or some other effect – could cause an intersection,” he said.
Go ahead, you can thank us now. Or – even better – come join us as we help save the world. We’d love to have you on our team.
More Information:
//Inside the Classroom
Dr. Andre Mazzoleni
Dr. Mazzoleni is an associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at NC State, who studied the effectiveness of this asteroid-tether-ballast system.
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