Is it true that there is no upper limit to how powerful can a hydrogen bomb be?

Question

if it is true then why don't scientist make bombs big enough to blast a 10 km asteroid?

Answer 1

The kinetic energy of a 10 km asteroid, relative to Earth, can be many gigatons TNT. It could be difficult to deliver a hydrogen bomb to the asteroid in time for the detonation to be effective.

First, there's the cost of boosting the bomb into orbit... probably by pieces that would have to be assembled in space.

Second, the asteroid will be flying toward Earth at about 30 to 40 kilometers per second, while the rocket trying to intercept it will only be going 3 or 4 kilometers per second after it leaves the general vicinity of Earth. That means the asteroid will meet the bomb at a distance from Earth that is only ten percent of the asteroid's distance from Earth when the bomb was launched.

Third, the kinetic energy and inertia of the asteroid will be very difficult for a bomb to deflect, because the only part of the bomb energy that will count is the fraction that the asteroid actually intercepts. Most of the bomb's energy will hit no part of the asteroid and will therefore be wasted.

You might be interested in the mathematics involved in changing an asteroid's orbit. I've solved the problem of calculating elliptical transfer orbits having one apside at either departure or arrival. This kind of math would be used to choose the best deflection vector for an asteroid that might otherwise hit Earth. But it could also be used by "space terrorists" to turn a near miss into a direct hit. My example problem is one such case.

http://jenab6.livejournal.com/12053.html

Answer 2

dunno....

Answer 3

Blowing up an Earth-bound asteroid is not a good strategy for preventing destruction on Earth. If you blow it up, you then have millions of small asteroids to contend with, instead of one large one. The only good way is to deflect it, change its path to one that does not intersect Earth.

Answer 4

of course there is a limit, it's generally based on the amount of fuel to burn.

for a 10km asteroid, you need A LOT of Uranium that a rocket can't even large enough to hold.  do a math of what's the mass of 10km asteroid, then u may realized it is not just a dot in the space.

Answer 5

Of course there's a limit, do you think we can destroy the universe?

Answer 6

Well I think you got the theory wrong. Hydrogen bombs aren't really that destructive, but are lethal if we use them against ourselves, as it sucks air from the surrounding area.

It's a very "clean" bomb.