Suppose that we wanted to use the gravity tractor deflection strategy to deflect the near earth asteroid Apophis, which has a mass of 2.7 * 10^10 kg. We want to deflect it 1000 km (1*10^6m) so that it will miss a gravitational keyhole. The spaceship would be able to exert a force of 0.032 N on the asteroid.
i. What would the acceleration of the asteroid be? Show your work
ii. How long will it take to deflect the asteroid the required distance? Show your work
(Note: mathematical methods used for the rocket thruster deflection strategy and the gravity tractor deflection strategy are the same - it's just the cause of the force and acceleration that's different.)
i. What would the acceleration of the asteroid be? Show your work
ii. How long will it take to deflect the asteroid the required distance? Show your work
(Note: mathematical methods used for the rocket thruster deflection strategy and the gravity tractor deflection strategy are the same - it's just the cause of the force and acceleration that's different.)