Meteoroids in the main asteroid belt
Alain Fournier
Space debris in LEO is somewhat of a problem. But I'm wondering about the space debris problem in the asteroid belt.
Let's say we build a mining colony on a main belt asteroid, does anyone know what kind of hazard meteoroids would be?
What would be a typical velocity and at what frequency impacts can be expected?
Alain Fournier
Andy Lee Robinson
I'd guess that there is a background level throughout the solar system
from interstellar particles and comet dust, but that area of space is
still very sparse, so meteoroid density should be orders of magnitude
less than LEO.
I really don't think it would be a problem. Small particles should
have been blown out of the way long ago by the solar wind or captured
by Jupiter or smaller asteroids, including tiny fragments produced by
collisions. The bigger bits still in orbit are unknown, but there
should be a statistical relationship between fragment size and
frequency, and tendency to be expelled by the solar wind.
Only difficult direct measurements over a long time could provide real
answers. Asteroid belts are definitely not as portrayed in films for
the masses where it's like navigating through a maze.... and I'm
thinking of Wall-E too, where satellite density and velocities were
thousands of times underportrayed, though I think it made a rather
unsubtle point...
I think the solar wind would be a greater hazard to any mining colony,
but their base would go underground fairly quickly and supplied by
energy from solar panels on the surface.
Steve Willner
Why is the misconception that small particles are affected by the
solar wind so common? Small particles are affected by solar
radiation pressure; solar wind pressure is trivial by comparison.
The solar wind affects ions. Compare comet "dust tails" and "ion
tails."
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Steve Willner Phone 617-495-7123 swil...@cfa.harvard.edu
Cambridge, MA 02138 USA