'Tunguska'-Size Asteroid Makes Surprise Flyby of Earth

a reply to: jadedANDcynical

The words "asteroid" and "surprise fly-by" never sound good together.

For the life of me I do not understand why there isn't a larger global effort to discover/track these. Yes, I know it's difficult but so what? 7+ Billion people on the planet and no workable ideas? I won't believe that.

a reply to: jadedANDcynical

And... nobody noticed.
This time.

a reply to: Wildmanimal

I think there have been very many times when it wasn't noticed.

Less often now than before though.

a reply to: grey580

Better yet imagine it landing in the Hudson River - drain the swamp of the MIC and their lobbyists and a few war mongering politicians.

a reply to: Wildmanimal

Oh they saw it, just before it went wizzing past...

Anyway, this is still in the territory of odds-you-shouldn’t-worry-about, though upgrading our country’s space observation capabilities would be nice. Still, next time you see the ubiquitous story about a “potentially hazardous asteroids,” remember that anything NASA is currently tracking is of no consequence to our safety. It’s the unknown stuff that might kill us.

Weekend Asteroid Flyby Confirms We're Worrying About the Wrong Space Rocks - Gizmodo

It's not the ones they're watching we need to be worried about, those we know are there. It's the one like this that we had no idea of that are a problem.

originally posted by: jadedANDcynical
a reply to: Wildmanimal

Oh they saw it, just before it went wizzing past...

Anyway, this is still in the territory of odds-you-shouldn’t-worry-about, though upgrading our country’s space observation capabilities would be nice. Still, next time you see the ubiquitous story about a “potentially hazardous asteroids,” remember that anything NASA is currently tracking is of no consequence to our safety. It’s the unknown stuff that might kill us.

Weekend Asteroid Flyby Confirms We're Worrying About the Wrong Space Rocks - Gizmodo

It's not the ones they're watching we need to be worried about, those we know are there. It's the one like this that we had no idea of that are a problem.

I don't think we are worrying about the "wrong space rocks". We are doing our best to identify potential global killers primarily, which is the way it should be. Tunguska level impactors, while they are potential city killers, would be localized in the destruction they cause. Ideally we want to be able to monitor all PHOs, but the trouble is we don't have the technology to do so, except for the larger objects (global killers) that come relatively close to us, but the solar system is a big place and it has many more Tunguska size objects which are very hard to spot unless they come very close.

It may take a decade or two before we can make a meaningful survey of these city killers that approach us closely, so we should do what we can to monitor the PHOs which are the greatest threat (global killers) in the mean time, till the tech catches up.

The real problem is that the above only considers relatively close objects, but there are potentially 10's of millions of city killers lurking in the asteroid belt, and even more worrisome is the Oort cloud which contains huge numbers again of city killers plus potential global killers. Objects from these two sources are more or less constantly being ejected, and some will head for here or are already on their way. These will effectively come out of the blue as a complete surprise (like the object that is the main topic of discussion here), so we need to be able to have something in place which can intercept them at short notice - which is what we are currently trying to work out how to do effectively.

We might still be vulnerable for decade or two tops (my own "guestimate"), but I think there's a fair chance we'll have something that is reasonably effective in place by then. In the mean time I wouldn't worry too much since the actual chances of something major impacting in that time are actually quite low. If they were high we probably would not be here today!

Even if we had spotted it earlier?There wouldn't have been a thing we(terrestrials)could have done about it except say goodbye to our loved ones.
We need an international planetary defense system against such threats.

a reply to: TDawg61

This one was far from being a planet killer.

But you're right.

a reply to: jadedANDcynical

The only surprise here is that they didn't locate it sooner, and even that isn't really a surprise. That 's why they call it space, after all; there is so much of it!

One day USA or CCCP will move the orbit of a meteor to do a first strike!

how do you then tell the End game subs not to launch a counter strike?
its just a meteor!

a reply to: Phage

Current Examples?
Please specify.

a reply to: jadedANDcynical

Yes it is true.
"The ones "they" are not
paying attention to".

Quite a dilemma.

a reply to: Puppylove

I recall it was estimated to be at least or well beyond a megaton of TNT.
Air-burst also being the most destructive way it could have "hit"

-Driver

a reply to: DupontDeux

....That IS what they say...

Its actually far more common than most know.
The week following the afore-mentioned Russian meteor there were a dozen or so reported fireballs all around the world, some of which were comparable in size, just here on ATS... ...
Along presumably with some that were surely unreported, like the "Brazilian Tunguska" of 1930.
None of them made the actual news- as far as I am aware.

The "Brazillian Tunguska"

I think we were still in the same particularly dangerous debris stream which the Russian air-burst was from. If true, that is one of the most important and dangerous things hidden from the public to date IMHO! Also, a particularly "wide one", ....if you are familiar with meteor shower debris-streams.....

The "Brazillian Tunguska"

Some info just shouldn't be suppressed... asteroid danger is one of em IMO

a reply to: FireballStorm
You just hit the nail on the head.


-Driver