Could nations redirect asteroids to use as weapons?

[Dratonia]

While reading about NASA's mission to redirect asteroids, I was wondering if it would be possible and/or feasible for countries to redirect asteroids to impact a specific spot on Earth to use in a similar vein to nuclear weapons? I realize that it would be far more expensive than conventional nuclear weapons, but it would be much more powerful.

 

[COLGeek]

Let us hope that no one figures out how to do this...

 

[Wolfshadw]

While certainly possible (it's all just math), it's highly improbable. In most cases we don't know about Near Earth Objects (NEOs) until it's far too late to do anything about them. Additionally, given their speed and trajectory, it would be incredibly difficult to actually target a specific location.

-Wolf sends

 

[Dratonia]

While certainly possible (it's all just math), it's highly improbable. In most cases we don't know about Near Earth Objects (NEOs) until it's far too late to do anything about them. Additionally, given their speed and trajectory, it would be incredibly difficult to actually target a specific location.

-Wolf sends

Yeah, that's what i figured. I wonder, would it be possible if you attached the craft to the asteroid and corrected its flight path as it approached the earth to increase it's accuracy?

 

[Wolfshadw]

Yeah, that's what i figured. I wonder, would it be possible if you attached the craft to the asteroid and corrected its flight path as it approached the earth to increase it's accuracy?

Not likely. If you actually wanted it to survive the atmosphere and do damage on the ground, it would need to be of significant size; probably too large for any kind of craft to attach and redirect.

-Wolf sends

 

[Helio]

Yeah, that's what i figured. I wonder, would it be possible if you attached the craft to the asteroid and corrected its flight path as it approached the earth to increase it's accuracy?

"Too much squeeze for the juice!" It would be far less expensive and much more reliable to use conventional methods.

If a relatively small asteroid could be snuck around the Sun and stay in its glare, perhaps it would have a chance, but any spacecraft that goes out to pull this dirty stunt would likely be sufficient enough an alert the world to a response, so it's hard to imagine this happening except in Hollywood (e.g. The Expanse) [They knew to at least give the rocks super, unexpected, speed.]

 

[Dratonia]

"Too much squeeze for the juice!" It would be far less expensive and much more reliable to use conventional methods.

If a relatively small asteroid could be snuck around the Sun and stay in its glare, perhaps it would have a chance, but any spacecraft that goes out to pull this dirty stunt would likely be sufficient enough an alert the world to a response, so it's hard to imagine this happening except in Hollywood (e.g. The Expanse) [They knew to at least give the rocks super, unexpected, speed.]

Yeah, the more I think about it, the more I realize that, aside from wanting to completely destroy the earth, nukes or other kinetic means (such as the tungsten rods from COD: Ghosts) would be far more effective/efficient.