[TML] Asteroid Mining (was Molding Ships)

[Richard Aiken]

On 10/5/07, Timothy Little <tim at little-possums.net> wrote:
> On Thu, Oct 04, 2007 at 10:22:24PM -0400, Richard Aiken wrote:
> > After several iterations, wouldn't the variations begin to cancel
> > each other out?
>
> Without actually running simulations, I have no idea.  This is the
> sort of messy problem where theoretical analysis gets incredibly
> difficult.

Ah.  I was afraid you would say something like that. <sigh>

Well, it seems to me that there are only three possible outcomes:

1) The chaos gets worse.
2) The chaos damps out.
3) The chaos remains unchanged.

Now, I don't have enough math to even *try* a simulation.  But I
strongly doubt 3) could occur at all.  The cable and reel are a major
change and the chance that this won't affect the chaos seems very
remote.

1) is certainly possible.  And I suppose if it got bad enough, it
*could* end up oscillating at just the right frequency (am I using the
correct terms?), so that it cracks the cable like a whip (thus
breaking it).  But that would seem to require a highly improbable
match up between rotation rate and system mass.

So I figure that leaves us with only 2) as a long term effect.  But
exactly how long term?  Hours?  Days?  Weeks?  Months?

Note: I'm only concerned with how this would play out in an RPG.  I'm
not planning to go rock hunting myself. :P

> One thing that is certain, is that any kinetic energy that the weights
> acquire will be at the expense of the asteroid's rotational energy.
> If you can afford to cut free a number of weights of suitable mass,
> the asteroid *will* slow its spin by a significant fraction for each
> one.

Okay.  But what would be a "suitable mass" and a "significant
fraction?"  10%?  25%?  50%?

-- 
Richard Aiken

"Never insult anyone by accident."  Robert A. Heinlein