MOSCOW. Jan 18 (Interfax-AVN) - Scientists have proposed that a modification of the RS-20 Voyevoda intercontinental ballistic missile be used in the initial stage of the construction of the Citadel I planetary protection system.
"There is one key goal among the numerous objectives achieved with the help of aerospace technologies: the creation of a planetary protection system to prevent catastrophic collisions of asteroids and comet nuclei with the Earth," a group of Russian scientists said in a report prepared for the Korolyov Readings.
This would require a thorough consideration of every component of the system and a detailed study of the planetary physics of those celestial bodies by means of micro-satellites, the report said.
"They could be launched using relatively cheap and reliable Dnepr vehicles, which are a civilian modification of the RS-20 Voyevoda silo-based strategic missile," the report said.
The project can be accomplished quickly and cheaply, the report said, referring to recent successes in detecting asteroids approaching the Earth. About 150 asteroids of the kind pass by the Earth every year, which means that near-Earth space could be used as a field for studying and testing components of the planetary protection system, the report said.
"The proposed technology could be a good supplement or even an alternative to long and expensive expeditions to asteroids and comets," it said.
It will be possible to begin the Space Patrol Project, which involves the use of relatively cheap micro-satellites for studying asteroids approaching the Earth, and to test ways to detect, study, and intercept them using corresponding kinds of satellites, the report said.
"This would allow the rapid response echelon of the Citadel I planetary protection system to be created quickly," it said.
The satellites would be able both to study asteroids and to deliver a series of fast strikes (at a speed of 70 to 80 kilometers per second) to study their characteristics and physical processes. The interceptor missions will allow drilling intercepting and impacting dangerous celestial bodies, the report said.
The authors have developed the concept of the satellites and proposed their possible payload for expedition purposes. They suggested that Voyevoda missiles be equipped with Briz-KM or Lift booster units.
"It will be possible to conduct a broad range of expeditions and experiments in near-Earth and inter-planetary space," the report said.