@nyrath Obligatory note that nuclear blast deflection for asteroids would work best with a standoff detonation that rendered the upper meter or so of most of a hemisphere of the target into vapor.
For that, interceptor velocity would not be much of a concern.
And it is extremely unlikely that nuclear blast deflection will ever be necessary.
(Pitz et al. 2024 acknowledges that, but then continues with their even-less-likely variation.)
@michael_w_busch@nyrath Seems like a nuclear-powered landed ion thruster makes a lot more sense than a big bang that might turn 1 impactor in a few dozen.
@hendric@nyrath Landing a thruster on a rubble pile would not work well - it is very difficult to anchor, and the control problem is unstable (effectively an inverted pendulum).
But nuclear-electric propulsion for a gravity tractor or an ion tug is an option for gradually moving asteroids around. Provided that there is enough clear space for radiators to keep the spacecraft cooled.
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