Flywheel Bombs and Asteroid Propulsion: The Future of Mass Destruction?

[kjones000]

Here is the idea -- flywheel bombs.

Just how much energy CAN you pack into a flywheel per kg? Could it be made to "detonate"? Is there a minimum practical size for a flywheel bomb? Could detectors be created for airports to detect them? Is there an upper limit to practical size?

On a similar note, as computing power increases, it just gets easier and easier for someone to get an asteroid moving REALLY fast using dozens of planetary flybys and then sending it to earth. If you do the math, small and fast is LOTS more dangerous than big and slow. I am envisioning a asteroid propulsion system that starts with one small push followed by millions of micro course corrections. Is this how the world will end?

 

[Mk]

The asteroid thing... that would be really expensive, like trillions or quadrillions of dollars

 

[russ_watters]

When the SR-71 was in development, one arnament they were considering was kinetic energy bombs: dropped from 85,000 feet, at 2,000mph, with maybe a small rocket motor, a bomb doesn't need a warhead.

 

[kjones000]

I haven't done the math, but I suspect you are off by many orders of magnitude on that trillions of dollars statement. The key to low cost is leverage. You pick the right asteroid, you pick the right time, you pick the right flight path, you pick the right propulsion method, you steal your computing power using a virus, and you have plenty of patience. If you are willing to wait 60 years to achieve your goal, destruction becomes much easier.

 

[Gza]

I haven't done the math, but I suspect you are off by many orders of magnitude on that trillions of dollars statement. The key to low cost is leverage. You pick the right asteroid, you pick the right time, you pick the right flight path, you pick the right propulsion method, you steal your computing power using a virus, and you have plenty of patience. If you are willing to wait 60 years to achieve your goal, destruction becomes much easier.

...Muahahahaha Muahahahaha