The effect of a 6 megatonne space ship crashing in to a planet

Follow up question to: How long time would it take for a space hulk to lose orbit?

Let's assume that the spaceship crashes into the planet, I used the Impact Calculator to get some result of the crash.

Your Inputs:

• Distance from Impact: 200.00 km ( = 124.00 miles )
• Projectile diameter: 400.00 meters ( = 1310.00 feet )
• Projectile Density: 25 kg/m³
• Impact Velocity: 11.00 km per second ( = 6.83 miles per second )
• Impact Angle: 30 degrees Target Density: 2500 kg/m³ Target Type: Sedimentary Rock

Energy:

• Energy before atmospheric entry: 5.07 x 10¹⁶ Joules = 12.1 MegaTons TNT

• The average interval between impacts of this size somewhere on Earth during the last 4 billion years is 3.3 x 10³ years Major Global Changes:

• The Earth is not strongly disturbed by the impact and loses negligible mass.

• The impact does not make a noticeable change in the tilt of Earth's axis (< 5 hundreths of a degree).
• The impact does not shift the Earth's orbit noticeably.

Atmospheric Entry:

• The projectile begins to breakup at an altitude of 104000 meters = 342000 ft
• The projectile bursts into a cloud of fragments at an altitude of 18900 meters = 61900 ft
• The residual velocity of the projectile fragments after the burst is 0.0382 km/s = 0.0237 miles/s
• The energy of the airburst is 5.07 x 10¹⁶ Joules = 12.1 MegaTons.
• No crater is formed, although large fragments may strike the surface. Air Blast:

What does this mean?

• The air blast will arrive approximately 10.1 minutes after impact.
• Peak Overpressure: 528 Pa = 0.00528 bars = 0.0749 psi
• Max wind velocity: 1.24 m/s = 2.78 mph
• Sound Intensity: 54 dB (Loud as heavy traffic)

Would it be right to assume that the calculations are correct in this matter or do the somewhat aerodynamic shape, or other features change this?

I'm looking for the effects on the planet, not the spaceship, that if the calculations are correct - evaporate before it hits the ground.

posted about 9 years ago

Magic-Mouse‭

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