Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!bbn!oberon!nunki.usc.edu!sawant
From: sawant@nunki.usc.edu (Abhay Sawant)
Newsgroups: sci.space
Subject: Two questions.
Message-ID: <3288@nunki.usc.edu>
Date: 30 Mar 89 05:52:49 GMT
Reply-To: sawant@nunki.usc.edu ()
Distribution: usa
Organization: University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
Lines: 17


1.  I thought the idea of having spacecraft merely 'nudge' asteroids
towards earth was really neat.  Question: won't it be awfully hard to
get the exact trajectory of the asteroid correct?  Even if we're going
to be satisfied with getting it within (say) 15k km. from the center
of the earth (assume we can easily recover anything in this range),
isn't it going to be awfully hard to give the asteroid the correct
velocity vector?  Especially when you consider the awkward shape,
distribution of mass of the critter (i'm thinking engineering here).

2.  If it's not very hard getting some kind of hot fusion going, isn't
it a easy solution to the radioactive waste problem to chuck it into a
merrily burning fusion reaction?  Alternatively, shoot it into the
center of the sun.  Alternatively, shoot it at the stars.  Why have we
only thought of earth-based solutions to radioactive wastes so far?

	-ajay