What's a good way to destroy the (a?) planet?

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coloumb

Diamond Member
Oct 9, 1999
4,069
0
81
Let the occupants destroy the planet - oh wait..aren't we already doing that now?

 
S

SlitheryDee

I always thought a collision with some massive object in space would be crazy. Not an asteroid, but more like a planet the size of mars. Imagine being on the surface facing the object as it slowly fills the sky over the course of a few days/weeks. At a time that is relatively near the impact but before gravitational effects start really screwing up the surface and atmosphere it would be a truly awe-inspiring and frightening sight.
 

Leros

Lifer
Jul 11, 2004
21,867
7
81
An army of robots that mine the planet of every resource until none is left.
 

joesmoke

Diamond Member
Nov 2, 2007
5,420
2
0
Originally posted by: coloumb
Let the occupants destroy the planet - oh wait..aren't we already doing that now?

is this a reference to the Jonas Brothers Movie?
 

JTsyo

Lifer
Nov 18, 2007
12,039
1,135
126
Maybe something like in Ender's Game. Something that would create a chain reaction within molecules.

Isn't there a state of water that has different properties but if it came into contact with regular water it would change it too? Luckily that state isn't very probable. Though it reminds me of the eps in GI Joe where Cobra was working on a chemical that would turn water into an explosive.
 

Delita

Senior member
Jan 12, 2006
931
0
76
Originally posted by: JTsyo
Maybe something like in Ender's Game. Something that would create a chain reaction within molecules.

Isn't there a state of water that has different properties but if it came into contact with regular water it would change it too? Luckily that state isn't very probable. Though it reminds me of the eps in GI Joe where Cobra was working on a chemical that would turn water into an explosive.

Haha. Same universe as my reply. Dr. Device was weapon that created the molecular chain reaction.
 

Evadman

Administrator Emeritus<br>Elite Member
Feb 18, 2001
30,990
5
81
Load up a space shuttle with a bunch of dirt and launch it into space. Repeat until the whole earth has been loaded and launched into space.
 

krylon

Diamond Member
Nov 17, 2001
3,927
4
81
Originally posted by: zerogear
Humanity created nanobots programmed to 'clean' oil spills by eating carbon gone awol.

Already done in Ben Bova's Moonrise.
 

Fritzo

Lifer
Jan 3, 2001
41,920
2,161
126
There was just a show on either Discovery or Nat Geo where the world's top scientists talked about that very subject. Turns out the Earth at least is very sturdy. The ways they came up with that would actually work are:

1. Create or coax a black hole with the same mass as the Earth (which would be the size of a marble) into orbit around the planet. it would stretch the planet apart and then absorb it.

2. Dump a trillion tons of antimatter into the Earth's core.

3. Coax a series of large asteroids into a conveyor belt orbit between Jupiter and the Earth. With each pass, some of Earth's momentum would be stolen, and after 1000's of years, the Earth would fall into the sun.

4. Asteroid collision. You would need something with around 1/2 Earth's mass to destroy it completely. A 60KM object or less would make Earth uninhabitable.

5. Self replicating nanobots. Nanobots that can reproduce themselves out of individual atoms, and then each generation helps make the next generation is probably the most feasible situation. The Earth would be consumed and turned into a blob of robots.
 

Linflas

Lifer
Jan 30, 2001
15,395
78
91
How about a pair of planets, lets call them Bronson Alpha and Bronson Beta, enter the solar system, pass close by causing some major damage and on the return swing Bronson Alpha takes out the earth?
 

tk149

Diamond Member
Apr 3, 2002
7,253
1
0
1. Unleash Chuck Norris' full potential

2. Tribbles...lots and lots of tribbles...

3. Transport the planet to somewhere without a sun (although this has already been covered in SF novels)
 

So

Lifer
Jul 2, 2001
25,923
17
81
Smack it with an asteroid at a high fraction of c (the speed of light).
 

GTaudiophile

Lifer
Oct 24, 2000
29,767
33
81
You kill Bruce Willis the next time he tries to take his nukes and drilling team up to the asteroid.