ISS and Perseids - scary or what?

[Kaptain Klevtsov]

Just wondering how dangerous a Perseid would be if it clipped the space station? Bet they weren't in a rush to find out.

Kaptain Klevtsov

[peonic]

I was pondering on similar lines last night. How big are the perseids when they start to enter the atmosphere?

Chris

[Ant]

I beleive that most meteors are around the size of a grain of salt. What you actually see is the ionized atmosphere around the particle as apposed to the particle itself.

Not sure how dangerous this would be to the shuttle / ISS...

Ant

[Kain]

Bit of info for you here CC

http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2002/17may_issmeteors.htm

Kain

[Kaptain Klevtsov]

Thanks Kain, very interesting stuff.

Kaptain Klevtsov

[cygnusx1]

Wow, 140,000 mph!!

You would have thought at that speed even tho the particle only weighs milligrams its momentum and energy would be enough to right thru the stations panels.

[Astroman]

Some great info on that link. The velocity figure of 144,000 mph is along its trajectory orbiting the Sun. They actually encounter Earth's atmosphere at a leisurely 56,000 mph. Perseids enter the atmosphere at ~67,000 mph. ALL of these particles are about the size of a dust grain. A particle the size of a grain of salt would generate a major bolide, in all probability.

So don't worry-those guys at NASA and ESO and Roskosmos have thought of these problems. Pretty sharp guys, for the most part. 8)