Feasibility of deceleration by collision

There are many hypothetical systems for bringing spacecraft of the near-future up to speed, some of which may attain some relativity-bending velocities. However, these systems, to achieve such high speeds, often waive extremely high mass ratios given to fuels and engines. Take laser propelled spacecraft, for instance. An inert mass hitchhiking a giant kite.

The problem with these systems is that they'd have trouble at the other end if it was outside their designers' intentions to perhaps slow down to non-relativistic speeds--and that, with a spacecraft left to show for. For the case of laser propulsion, the spacecraft would require a beam at its destination to decelerate.

But, what if we didn't have a beam? Better yet, what if our technology allowed us not to care? Could we be brute about this?

Consider some spacecraft whose exact dimensions, material make-up, and function is yet unspecified, traveling at ten percent light-speed toward a star system. Without any constituent unobtainium (with known materials), can some arbitrarily purposeful piece of the spacecraft (assume a microorganism-sized component) be made to withstand and survive a direct impact with an airless body of arbitrary mass at ten percent light-speed?

Constraints of creativity:

A direct impact with an airless body, say, the moon, at ten percent lightspeed would pull millions to billions of gees, not to mention the kinetic energy released. Microorganisms can be durable things and the closest I've come to researching their resistance to high rates of acceleration was through lithopanspermia. One may assume the smallest microorganisms, perhaps to the scales of viruses.

I would guess that this is predominantly an issue of finding some material that may withstand the involved energies and then scaling that up to protect some microorganism-sized component--the ultimate egg drop challenge. If you can do better than a measly cell-sized thing, larger is better.

The spacecraft can be made of anything, can have any (reasonable) dimensions (just keep it smaller than a thousand kilometers to a side, okay?), and can do anything it needs to do, whatever that may entail. It may also be assumed a light sail spacecraft if nothing else, though, it does not need to be.

I suppose this question is double-edged. The answer may either be No, for these reasons, or Yes, by this method. If you have suggestions for how some parameters may be adjusted--should the answer really, plainly be no--I'm all for it!

posted almost 6 years ago

B.fox‭

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