Re: Drifting to DSII (was Re: New Fighter Types (drifting OT....))

At 11:45 22/07/98 +0300, you wrote:
>On Tue, 21 Jul 1998 tom.anderson@altavista.net wrote:
>
>>  ---- jerry han wrote: 
>> > 15m long, 2m diameter, titanium cylinder, dropped on you from
orbit?
>> > 
>> > That's a LOT of kinetic energy.  (8-)
>> 
>> 7.2e+15 joules, to be a bit more exact. you don't want to know how i
>> figured it out, do you? 
>
>Actually, I do. Mass is easy enough, but the simplest formula for
>potential energy (E=mgh) has two problems: It assumes constant gravity
and
>ignores atmospheric friction.
>
>Taking that orbit is "high enough", you need to calculate the terminal
>velocity for the rod and go from there. I trust you did this?
>
>I'll forgive you for ignoring heat build-up effects from atmospheric
>friction.
>
>Not that a 15m x 2m solid metal cylinder didn't have enough mass to
make a
>dent in tank-sized objects from nearly any height.
>
>-- 
>maxxon@swob.dna.fi (Mikko Kurki-Suonio)	    | A pig who doesn't
fly

You're all beginning to frighten me with this.	Brain overheating.   All
I
know is drop a piece of metal on top of a tank from way above it and you
get a "BIG BADABOOM!" as they say.

Anyhow I know I could survive it if it were dropped on me.  It would
bounce.  Um, I think I'll shut up now.
--------------------
Niall Gilsenan,
DIT Cathal Brugha St,
Dublin 1,
Ireland.
--------------------
The miscellany (Sci-Fi combat games)
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