Tether assisted near earth object diversion

Potential earth impact threats posed by asteroids have motivated researchers to find effective NEO diversion techniques. Several means to perturb the motion of an asteroid have been discussed in the literature. Attaching a long tether and ballast mass to the asteroid can effectively alter its trajectory. In this paper it is shown that by cutting the tether at an appropriate time the diversion can be enhanced. The instant of cutting the tether significantly affects the final orbit of the asteroid and thus the resulting deflection from the original path.

► We examine the effect of tether attachment and then tether cut on the asteroid diversion achieved. ► We demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed technique via three examples. ► Cutting the tether could increase the diversion achieved if the cut point is chosen wisely. ► Cutting the tether at an inappropriate time could even decrease the diversion achieved.