Killer asteroid predictions 'off by millions of miles'

Killer asteroid predictions 'off by millions of miles'

space.newscientist.com

YOU'D think that by now we'd have a firm grip on the trajectory of the solar system's most worrisome chunk of rock. In fact we have only a hazy understanding of how likely the asteroid Apophis is to strike Earth. What's more, budget cuts may shut down the telescope that could clarify the situation.

(visit the link for the full news article)

Well, I must say that there is no way I can even calculate the trajectory of a ball thrown normally let alone space objects. It surprises me that we can't work out a way of actually doing something about this problem as a meteor strike would make global warming seem like a hot afternoon.



space.newscientist.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

reply to post by Shere Khaan


Well, having it remain as an unsolvable mystery does allow them a bit of a "fudge factor". Do you think it would be possible for them to really have a very good idea how close these asteroids come, but they only release these way off numbers to make it look like it isn't an exact science? That way, when they spot something that they know will impact the earth, they can still claim that it will miss by a million miles?

Lets just say they do figure out an asteroid will hit us......................................so....uh....what do we do about it.
What could anybody do about possible imminent death...........I would say there is not much any one can do.

[edit on 7/15/2008 by liamoohay]

reply to post by liamoohay


They'd have to spot it many years if not decades ahead of time in order to alter its trajectory. Given a span of weeks or even months, its extremely unlikely that there's anything anyone could do about it.

reply to post by vor78


That is my point. There is nothing that can be done about it. Remember Temple1, that was like a speck of dust hitting a semi.

reply to post by liamoohay


There is plenty you can do about it! You just need to call up Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman and Elijah Wood and they will save the day!

I hesitate to believe that we'd be told even if it had zero chance of colliding with earth. After all, that's just one less thing to hold over our heads and make us afraid.

I think you are correct Unit They in power would not tell us sh** about it And what is to say We have not had this problem in the years gone by.With all the weapons and secret stuff we have i'm sure they just moved it or did a Bruce

reply to post by liamoohay


Evacuate everyone in the projected part of earth and its surrounding areas where the asteroid were to hit. That would save a lot of lives, but surviving the consequences of the impact would of course depend on how large the asteroid was. If we could foresee a Armageddon causing asteroid 40 years in advance we would have time to build underground bunkers and shelters to save millions of lives.

Knowing the trajectory would do a lot

just so ya know this is how to work out Trajectories!

musr.physics.ubc.ca...

na i didn't get it either!

[edit on 15-7-2008 by Neilc1972]

reply to post by InterestedObserver


Well thanks for opening that can-o-worms I doubt anything would be done about it last time I checked airlines and cruise ships were not giving free rides.

Who will get the contract to build these bunkers, Haliburton, KBR?

Annnnnnd....... who gets to go in these bunkers? I want the penthouse suite

Youre ideals are great and I wish they would be a reality. But I feel safe in saying: that aint gonna happen

[edit on 7/15/2008 by liamoohay]

Originally posted by liamoohay
so....uh....what do we do about it

Frankly, as long as it's quick and painless ... I don't care. We all die sometime. I'm looking forward to what's coming and I really am tired of being here anyways.

Just as long as it's quick and painless ... that's fine.

We all would be off to better (etherial) things.

Well, we all know how much humanity has done worldwide recently to instill a great sense of confidence that the knowledge we were about to be struck by a mass extinction level event wouldn't cause any chaos, rioting, deaths, or people acting like animals in a zoo. If they suddenly said we all had 3 weeks to live before an astroid hit us, utter and complete hell would break out on Earth for those 3 weeks. Nations would launch nukes at their longtime enemies, not giving a damn about the consequences... rapes, murders, looting, real tortures, arsons, you name the deviant crimes, would run roughshod across the land. The people who actually have morals would be forced to either flee for the mountains and spend their final weeks on the move, or else band together and defend themselves as a group from the world's miscreants... Martial law would legitimately be declared as the world's leaders would all go deep into underground bunkers and leave their militaries and police forces with orders to kill anyone and anything that they feel like...

So yeah, I know I sure want them to let us know in advance.

LOL of course you can change its trajectory...

If you launch a large ball and a smaller ball hits it from a certain angle, it will impact the trajectory of the larger ball and if the distance from target is large enough, the small impact will be enough to make it miss the target...

So even if there was no weapons that could be launched to hit the asteroid, you could send a space shuttle to collide with it.

But I think we don't need to worry, the planetary shields can be activated and will deflect the asteroid!

It does sound very plausible to withhold this type of information. Why bother scaring the crap out of everyone if nothing can be achieved from it.

I do hope they don't actually scrap the funding for this tracking though, as it's only a matter of time before it happens again.

reply to post by TruthWithin


Bruce Willis.....Definite yes.

The hobbit will need to bring Gandalf though.

Well, I have an idea, that I wonder if it would work. If all of the countries that possessed nuclear arms used all of those weapons, and shot them into space at the asteroid, would that be enough to blow it up so it did not hit our planet?

An added bonus to saving the earth, it would make heroes out of the despised leaders of these countries.

I would imagine nuclear explosives would be largely useless given the kinetic energy of a large asteroid and the possibilty of shattering it and turning a single bullet that might miss into a shotgun that will hit.

A heavy rocket going fast enough should deviate an asteroid enough if hit early enough. hence the importance of forwarning