The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #124164   Message #2740835
Posted By: Skivee
07-Oct-09 - 07:54 PM
Thread Name: BS: Bombing the Moon
Subject: RE: BS: Bombing the Moon
Sorry Old Dude, BBis only partially correct, not absolutely correct.
The booster and impacter are droping from a low Lunar orbital speed, not dropping directly into the lunar gravity well. Speaking VERY broadly, the average orbital speed at 100 miles above the moon is about 4,000. Lower orbits would be SLIGHTLY faster, but still in that general range. I wouldn't want to be standing in the crater when those things impacted, but in no case will they release anything like the energy of an atomic bomb. Many boosters, and research vehicles have hit the moon over the course of various space programs. None have produced an atomic level of energy release. Read the article at spaceweather.com to see how much of a bang they expect.
The penny would have to be dropped from a building with no atmosphere outside of it. Here on Earth it would reach terminal velocity quickly as air resistance balanced the attraction of gravity; and though painful if it hit someone, would neither dig a hole through a person nor blast a hole in the concrete sidewalk.
I don't remember the exact figure, but The Mythbusters came up with a terminal velocity for a penny in the tens of mph vs. tens of thousands of mph. If the penny was reformed into a sphere, the speed would be greater, but never enough to smash a sidewalk.