Drilling systems today mainly use water to move mass up the tube and away from the bit. In space, you need to develop a closed system to do that. |
If it's a world-killing asteroid, well then it's all about motivation. |
If you have a good amount of warning, like 10 years, then you don't need to send many. |
It's like throwing rocks from inside a rowboat. Over time, you end up moving the boat. |
People have not made a production version of this. So something very reliable and light and strong and accurate is needed. |
The benefit of the swarm is redundancy. Some could be destroyed, others lost, and the rest can still challenge the asteroid. |
They looked for the White Rocks, ... which is a 3,500-foot-high rock face and was a landmark for pioneers. When they saw the rocks, travelers knew they were only a day's journey away from the Gap. |
We're aiming to examine the whole idea of these robots. |