Space Experts Predict Global Catastrophe

[hbarcat]

Some 6,000 cosmic objects circulating around the planet are currently known to experts in the field, the Association of Space Explorers (ASE) told a press conference at the UN headquarters in Vienna, where it presented its report "Asteroid Threats: A Call for Global Response."

And of these, up to 1,000 had a diameter of 150 kilometres (93 miles) or more, meaning they could cause major damage to the Earth's surface, prompting fires, tsunamis and ensuing disasters like famine, it said.

Although it should be possible to predict a collision up to 15 years before it occurs, the technology needed to divert an incoming asteroid has yet to be developed and this will require international cooperation, they said.


We'd better get busy and start cooperating!



http://www.breitbart.com/article.php...show_article=1

[crimson_basser]

Dont worry, we have Bruce Willis and Aerosmith
Were safe

[MyUsernameHere]

Pretty sure if an asteroid or comet with a diameter of 93 miles hit us, we wouldn't have to worry about famine.

[bassrique]

Hate to be picayune, but

Some 6,000 cosmic objects circulating around the planet

The writer meant, "circulating around the sun", no?

Anyway,

Whoa! Canadian Meteor Video

The vid is of a smallish object

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_2aX-784sw

[WyrdoBass]

We've been about to die for about 40 years now. I'm bored.

[derelicte]

Originally Posted by crimson_basser

Dont worry, we have Bruce Willis and Aerosmith
Were safe

lol g1

[hbarcat]

Originally Posted by bassrique

Hate to be picayune, but

The writer meant, "circulating around the sun", no?

That, too.

[Valerus]

Originally Posted by WyrdoBass

We've been about to die for about 40 years now. I'm bored.

Now what?

[hbarcat]

Originally Posted by Valerus

Now what?

[hbarcat]

[crimson_basser]

dont even worry about
theyre trained and ready to deploy at a moments notice


if all else fails,
theyre all ready as well, ready to destroy any space object that threatens to destroy the world with the power of the power ballad

[bassteban]

Originally Posted by hbarcat

An event like this could trigger some genuinely epic threads.

Edit: Ooh- FAIL POSTER!

[Atoz]

OH NO... A GLOBAL CATASTROPHE!!!!!!

[crimson_basser]

a play on words?



i see what you did there

[D.Don]

Nice, yet another project our governments can use as an excuse to spend billions of billions on weapons technology...

D.Don

[Gard]

Originally Posted by D.Don

Nice, yet another project our governments can use as an excuse to spend billions of billions on weapons technology...

D.Don

Actually, there are several competing proposals, and only ONE uses "weapons" to deal with the threat, and it is not the best suggestion, as it appears that a large proportion of the threatening objects are not solid enough to be deflected by either a direct detonation or "stand off" detonation. Most use directed ablation (using a high energy laser or focusing the sun's light through a large lens) to gently push the object into a different (i.e. non threatening) orbit, or some form of a solar sail concept (putting a large reflective sheet on the object so that sunlight "pushes" the object into a new orbit).

This is a genuinely serious issue, and one of the most compelling for not only maintaining space programs, but improving them, both manned and unmanned programs.

Anyone that doesn't take this seriously needs to go talk to the dinosaur (bird) in their backyard and ask if they like no longer being the predominant species on the planet. Do YOU want to join them? I don't.

[D.Don]

Hmm, still, you need to drill and place the explosives in the middle of the object, or else it will be of no use....




D.Don

[Big Joe]

Gotta go somehow... Guess that I shouldn't worry so much about the hit my 401K took then.

[COOL AND DEADLY]

Look, all we need to do is send up a small triangular space ship with thrust, blaster, and hyperspace. The ship then shoots the asteroids into little pieces, then destroys the pieces.

[Atoz]

Originally Posted by COOL AND DEADLY

Look, all we need to do is send up a small triangular space ship with thrust, blaster, and hyperspace. The ship then shoots the asteroids into little pieces, then destroys the pieces.

+1. We've had the technology to build this since 1979.