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Asteroid Defense Project Receives Priority Status

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posted on Jul, 14 2004 @ 12:13 AM
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The project, code-named Don Quijote, involves two satellites, one that orbits and studies the asteroid, while the other im pacts itself and gathers information on the guts of the object.

www.cnn.com...




The slam-bang 'Don Quijote' mission would help scientists figure out how to deflect or destroy any asteroid in the future that might be found to be on a collision course with Earth. The project uses the Spanish spelling of Don Quixote, the protagonist in Cervantes' novel who has chivalrous ideas that tend toward the impractical.

Scientists don't know enough about asteroid insides to predict how one would respond to attempts to nudge it off an Earth-impact course or turn it into harmless dust. While no asteroids are currently known to be on track to hit the planet, experts say a regional catastrophe is inevitable in the very long run-- over millennia. And run-ins with small asteroids that could incinerate a large city occur ever few thousand years.


It is, at the least an interesting proposition, and one that definitely needs to be explored more thuroughly. Hopefully, though, they can actually see the asteroid before it's already passed us


Edited for spelling

[edit on 14-7-2004 by RockerDom]



posted on Jul, 14 2004 @ 12:18 AM
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Good post, its about time we payed attention to the stars. How would human evolution been effected if the dinosours were not wiped out by one. We are getting to the point were we have enough technology to protect ourselves from such a catestrophic event.



posted on Jul, 14 2004 @ 12:55 AM
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Oh I read about this good post. Kinda scary how destroying an asteroid and getting man off earth is becomeing a priority for world governments at the same time.. Meaning this post and Bush building a CEV.

Maybe its bye bye earth in 30-40 or more years and they just don't want us to know right now or maybe ever..



posted on Jul, 14 2004 @ 01:04 AM
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The only thing that's scary to me is that its the European Space Agency conducting the project, NASA is apparenlty not involved. Pretty sad, when you think about it.



posted on Jul, 14 2004 @ 01:07 AM
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in the space.com article about this ESA project they mention that the USA has a similar mission that launches THIS DECEMBER. I find that fascinating simply because I tried to folow even mundane space missions and I never once heard anything about the US project.



posted on Jul, 14 2004 @ 01:12 AM
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Here it is...
www.space.com...

It's called Deep Impact. It launches this December and will hit comet Tempel 1 next summer. Like the European mission, it will utilize a mother/observer ship and an interceptor probe (I wonder if SDI stuff has been used in this program?).



posted on Jul, 14 2004 @ 01:15 AM
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The NASA mission will be completed on July 4th of next year, and is known as Deep Impact.

This is a link from Space.com from a May 2001 story about the project.

www.space.com...


And how. The 770-pound (350-kilogram) probe will hit the comet at 22,300 miles (35, 885 kilometers) per hour and penetrate 16 to 32 feet (5 to 10 meters). Much, but not all of the probe will be vaporized.

Then a bunch of the comet's innards will spew outward at about half the speed that the projectile came in. Over the course of about 200 seconds, more material will be excavated, carving a hole as big as a football field and seven stories deep.

Before impact, the comet will be visible in a good amateur telescope. But the freshly ejected material will enlarge the halo of debris around the comet, off of which sunlight reflects, and it will brighten dramatically.


Edited because Only and I posted at the same time


[edit on 14-7-2004 by RockerDom]


E_T

posted on Jul, 14 2004 @ 01:30 AM
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Originally posted by onlyinmydreams
Like the European mission, it will utilize a mother/observer ship and an interceptor probe

interceptor probe... more describing is "100kg ball of copper" or "copper bullet".

After all its only job is to to collide with comet.


deepimpact.jpl.nasa.gov...

[edit on 14-7-2004 by E_T]



posted on Jul, 14 2004 @ 01:12 PM
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Kind of strange mission, though, creating a peice of technology that is designed to crash. Hopefulyl, though, these two missions will give us unprecedented views into the hearts of asteroids, and some incredible new information.



posted on Jul, 14 2004 @ 01:19 PM
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Originally posted by Xeven

Maybe its bye bye earth in 30-40 or more years and they just don't want us to know right now or maybe ever..


Have you checked the PHA's for 2032? We have one coming in at .0014




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