Tonight an asteroid called 2011 MD, a hunk of rock about the size of a bus, will buzz the earth. It will be the fifth closest encounter in recorded memory. The risk to mother earth is minimal. If for some reason it took a late dive toward the planet, it would be torn apart, leaving the earth safe and sound. But this will not always be so. As we all know, there have been regular impacts, in out past, and there will be more in our future. But how many of us know that there is actually an asteroid on a collision course with us now? We are due for another very close encounter in 1929, it too will probably miss. But it seems that we are looking down the barrel of a collision in 2182. The USA have put aside several hundred million dollars to research the problem. Am I alone in saying that this is a sobering subject?
I can live with that. Also, what's the point of sinking so much money into research on the subject? There's nothing we could do about it.
It'll all be sorted by the time it happens. There's a lot of research going into it, scientists have been worrying about it for ages. No need to worry about this
I like to know about stuff. Seen a few documentaries and BBC/Guardian articles about it. It's been in the news on and off for years. They've done loads of research into it, and keep on changing their minds on what's best. The most recent one has been to deviate it with the aid of rockets sent up and attached to it. Not everyone is as uneducated and clueless as you ER
You've got to realise they don't get newspapers in Peterculter. And the library shut down years ago when they discovered most of the in-bred mutants can't read. Also, due to unfortunate geography (ie. it's Peterculter) they only get one TV channel, ITV1, which is fortunate as it allows ER to watch high brow shows such as Britain Has Talent and I'm an Attention Seeking ****, Get Me Out of Here!
i am not willing to pay higher taxes now just so that the human race can survive after i'm gone we could use all this cash to lower fuel prices, that'd take the edge off our impending doom as a race i reckon. it'd need to be at least 10p on a litre mind
It's been a while since we've had one of his amazing "What was on ITV last night" threads. Get to work ER
Toby is 100% spot on. I'm a member of an astronomical society and a few months ago our guest speaker - Dr Max Vasile from Strathclyde University - spoke on this very subject. There are heaps of technologies currently under development to deflect meteorites. the most viable appears to be laser ablation. This link summarises the options quite well: http://www.strath.ac.uk/space/resea...lectiontechnologies/laserablationexperiments/
Neeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeerd! How the hell do they target such a swifly moving thing? And how much notice would we get that one of the these ****ers was steaming towards us?
it's going to miss us? What the **** you worried about? Get a job, a burd or both. That'll give you something to occupy your mind.
There's a lot of mapping done of the paths of large asteroids, to calculate their trajectories and when they'll be in danger zones. Targeting it is tricky but not impossible.
