Could we blow up the moon?

[sto vo kor]

This idea was mentioned in jest in another thread, but could humans actually do it?

I don't know why we might ever decide to destroy the moon, but if humans had to, regardsless of the massive enviromental impact it would have on ecosystems, animals and warewolves.

Could humans destroy the moon with our current technology? And if so how?

 

[sojourner]

My guess is we have insufficient means to overcome the gravity holding it together. At the current time. Blow large holes in the surface? yes. Destroy it by blowing it up? no. Destroy it by throwing it out of orbit? no.

Hmmm, we could start modifying the orbit of another large body utnil we finally get it on a collision course, but it would take decades/centuries to do that kind of orbital adjustment.

 

[Jadzia]

What does blow it up mean?

Would splitting it into two approximately equal lumps, in relatively steady orbit about one another qualify?

Or to completely reduce it to dust? Because that would require us to provide it's gravitational binding energy.

 

[sto vo kor]

What does blow it up mean?

Would splitting it into two approximately equal lumps, in relatively steady orbit about one another qualify?

Or to completely reduce it to dust? Because that would require us to provide it's gravitational binding energy.

I'm assuming something where the remains couldn't be classed as moons themselves. So maybe chunks of smalller than say a few miles diameter, but if we end up a ring system like Saturn, great! :-)

And I think one caveat should be that what ever method of destruction is decided upon it doesn't involve the earth also being destroyed.

 

[JonathonWally]

I like the moon...

 

[Jadzia]

In the order of 10^29 Joules would be needed to do this.

The largest nuclear bomb ever detonated, the Tsar bomba, was only around 10^17 joules.
You would need 1,000,000,000,000 of them.

 

[clint g]

In the order of 10^29 Joules would be needed to do this.

The largest nuclear bomb ever detonated, the Tsar bomba, was only around 10^17 joules.
You would need 1,000,000,000,000 of them.

With all the nukes we have lying around it sounds somewhat doable

 

[sto vo kor]

In the order of 10^29 Joules would be needed to do this.

The largest nuclear bomb ever detonated, the Tsar bomba, was only around 10^17 joules.
You would need 1,000,000,000,000 of them.

Did you do the maths? Thats a massive number.

But you're only thinking of using nukes, what about trying to get a large comet to strike the moon, given, it might take a few decades to alter the orbit, but could it be done, would it be big enough?

And a third caviate: unlimited budet (well 'not quite true, the combined earth GDP, that's fairly large).

 

[JonathonWally]

In the order of 10^29 Joules would be needed to do this.

The largest nuclear bomb ever detonated, the Tsar bomba, was only around 10^17 joules.
You would need 1,000,000,000,000 of them.

It sounds like you've researched blowing up the moon quite extensively, plotting something?

 

[steve1961]

No you cant blow up the moon! Even with all the Nuclear weapons we have it couldnt be done. Why?? Because for onething if we cant blow up a giant asteroid or comet from hitting the earth then how in the hell can we blow up the moon? A giant asteroid isnt bigger than the moon.

 

[JonathonWally]

No you cant blow up the moon! Even with all the Nuclear weapons we have it couldnt be done. Why?? Because for onething if we cant blow up a giant asteroid or comet from hitting the earth then how in the hell can we blow up the moon? A giant asteroid isnt bigger than the moon.

We can to blow up a giant asteroid, Michael Bay made a documentary about it.

 

[sto vo kor]

No you cant blow up the moon! Even with all the Nuclear weapons we have it couldnt be done. Why?? Because for onething if we cant blow up a giant asteroid or comet from hitting the earth then how in the hell can we blow up the moon? A giant asteroid isnt bigger than the moon.

I think we could blow up an asteroid with little difficulty. Simply deternating a nuke next to one would probably do, we wouldn't even have to tunnel into it. (probably)

 

[JonathonWally]

No one's blowing up the moon, how the hell am I supposed to surf?

 

[steve1961]

There was a movie not too long ago an giant asteroid impact the moon and caused a volcanic eruption on the moon and then moon was heading towards earth. It caused earths magnetic fields to weaken and youll see people animals and things losing gravy and youll start floating. So its best we leave the moon alone and not do anything stupid.

 

[JonathonWally]

There was a movie not too long ago an giant asteroid impact the moon and caused a volcanic eruption on the moon and then moon was heading towards earth. It caused earths magnetic fields to weaken and youll see people animals and things losing gravy and youll start floating. So its best we leave the moon alone and not do anything stupid.

Mmmmm, delicious gravy...

 

[T'Girl]

Even if we blasted the moon into gravel size pieces, we would still have a ball of gravel in it's orbit.

 

[Jadzia]

Did you do the maths? Thats a massive number.

I used the formula for binding energy in wikipedia.

But you're only thinking of using nukes, what about trying to get a large comet to strike the moon, given, it might take a few decades to alter the orbit, but could it be done, would it be big enough?

That figure is only given to help visualise how much this much energy is. I'm not saying this is the best way.

1 trillion is a big number. Spreading them uniformly through the interior of the moon, would mean that no point is more than 300 meters from the nearest tsar bomba, which would be pretty intense.

Planetary bodies are supposed to accrete through collisions, so I'd expect a comet to mostly stick to the moon, unless it is energetic enough.

 

[Zulu Romeo]

Even if we blasted the moon into gravel size pieces, we would still have a ball of gravel in it's orbit.

In a way, it might appear as a glowing ball of red-white gravel, with the small particles travelling outwards away from the direction of the detonation site. Some of those particles would also be moving downwards, if the force of the detonation was strong enough (given the energy required to blow the moon apart, as stated above) and could in theory reach Earth.

Therefore, in a way, the Moon could very well hit our eyes like a big pizza pie. THAT's amore.

 

[sto vo kor]

Did you do the maths? Thats a massive number.

I used the formula for binding energy in wikipedia.

Owe yeah, I remember that formula from school, big G. Didn't they change big G in a Next Gen episode to move a moon? I can't quite remember.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

Even if we blasted the moon into gravel size pieces, we would still have a ball of gravel in it's orbit.

In a way, it might appear as a glowing ball of red-white gravel, with the small particles travelling outwards away from the direction of the detonation site. Some of those particles would also be moving downwards, if the force of the detonation was strong enough (given the energy required to blow the moon apart, as stated above) and could in theory reach Earth.

Therefore, in a way, the Moon could very well hit our eyes like a big pizza pie. THAT's amore.

All of a sudden I want pepperoni.