On 11/29/2014 6:31 PM, Tim wrote:
> On Fri, Nov 28, 2014 at 11:51:01AM -0500, Kurt Feltenberger wrote:
>> >Where I'm having trouble is coming up with a ballpark for their
>> >mass. I'm thinking with the numerous solar systems to mine, that
>> >tungsten would be the best option...but I am open to suggestions.
> Tungsten would be an excellent option.  It's very dense and has a very
> high melting point.
>
> There's a rough sort of lower bound on mass, determined by the
> thickness of the atmosphere.  The projectile needs sectional density
> greater than that of the atmosphere it's passing through.  If it's
> made of tungsten passing through Earth-like atmosphere, that it would
> be ideal if it were on the order of a metre long, or longer.  The
> width should also be at least about 1/20th of the length.  Putting
> those together, the minimum useful mass would be about 50 kg.
>
> Arbitrarily larger masses are possible, depending upon how much death
> and destruction they have to cause and the capabilities of the
> launcher.
>
>
> - Tim

Hi Tim!

Thanks for the reply! Currently the dimensions aren't quite what you
have listed...the Mjolnir-A is 69.37m long by 7m in diameter, while the
Mjolnir-B is 38.6m long by 3.5m in diameter. The goal is pretty much
slag cities, mountains, Terrasques, and other bits and bobs that might
need smiting from orbit.

--
Kurt Feltenberger
kurt@thepaw.org/kfeltenberger@yahoo.com
“Before today, I was scared to live, after today, I'm scared I'm not
living enough." - Me