A recent study explores the potential of using a powerful space-based laser array, DE-STAR, to deflect potentially hazardous asteroids from colliding with Earth. The study discusses the technology's capabilities and addresses concerns about its potential misuse.
Recently, Astronomers spotted three near-Earth asteroids hiding in the glare of the Sun. These NEAs are part of an elusive population that lurks inside the orbits of Earth and Venus. One of the asteroids is the largest object that is potentially hazardous to Earth to be discovered in the last eight years. Could we use space lasers to protect Earth from these hazards? Image Credit: DOE/FNAL/DECam/CTIO/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/J.
In either case, the system would be based on the Sun’s energy. “DE-STAR is a square modular design which exploits the energy created by banks of solar cells in space to generate and amplify the power of a laser beam,” Hibberd explains in his new paper. In literature, DE-STAR is typically referred to as DE-STAR n, where n is usually between 0 and 4 and denotes the size of the bank of lasers. The larger the array, the more powerful it is.
the Sun, there are feasible locations for DE-STAR 0-2 arrays where there is no danger to Earth,” Hibberd writes. There’s another factor to consider. Since DE-STAR gets its energy from the Sun, its power decreases the further away from the Sun it is. “This reduction is a consequence of the decrease in solar flux intensity on the photovoltaic cells, where an
However, as the arrays become larger, the minimum safe distance quickly increases. Conversely, the available solar energy decreases.
Space Lasers Asteroid Defense DE-STAR Planetary Protection Science Fiction
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