[meteorite-list] Space Mission to Asteroid 2004 MN4

[Francis Graham]

 Sterling Webb wrote:
>          Whoa, Darren! True, the asteroid will be
> closer than a geosynchronous satellite, but
>      since it's not gravitationally bound to the
> Earth's g-field, the local speed limits will not
>      apply! You're going to have to really hop up
> your police interceptor rocket if you're going
>      to get close enough to even slap it on the ass
> on its way by!

   For a conventional sample return mission, that is
quite true. But there is another way. A slower rocket
could hit the asteroid as it passes by on approach
with a high energy laser, and vaporize some of it. A
very small bit of this vapor could be resolidified on
a platinum alloy catcher grid that could then return.
The vapor would, it is true, hit the catcher grid at a
high velocity, but if the mass is sufficiently small
it could be done without destruction of the catcher.
   This mission could even be performed SUBORBITALLY
by high altitude rockoons, if all the timing is right.
In fact, the timing of it would be very tricky.

Francis Graham 
   

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