The World Beyond BetterMost > Anything Goes
Asteroid Collision with Earth
brokeplex:
--- Quote from: delalluvia on February 05, 2008, 08:33:11 pm ---Yep, just a matter of time. Hopefully we'll develop the technology to deal with them, but right now, we need about a 10-15 year head start, but with little funding going toward the NASA project to look for NEOs (near earth objects), chances are fairly good we're going to get our bell rung but good within in the next century, give or take.
--- End quote ---
the technology useful in deflecting an asteroidal or cometary crash on Earth exists today. nuclear missles, lasers all exist, the question is how long would it take to construct reliable systems in Earth or near Earth orbit which could deflect those NEOs. this threat to the planet is real, there is excellent video of the Hale-Bopp comet impacting Jupiter a few years ago. the explosions which occured on Jupiter were more powerful than the explosion which ended the Mesozoic and extinguished most of the dinosaurs.
Artiste:
brokeplex, you are right that we are NOW in the ice age, if that is what you are saying!!
But, ice is melting!!!
I just heard on TV an hour ago, that Earth was 9 out of 10 of its age without ice!!
The ice is rather newness on Earth!!
Did you know that?
Now, we are finding that volcanos are SAVING us, you know?
- so maybe a small tiny asteroid could too dare I ask??
Hugs!!
brokeplex:
no, I am not saying that we are currently in an Ice Age. we are in an interglacial period that is rapidly coming to an end.
Artiste:
The TV said that WE ARE IN ICE AGE!!
But the volcanos are helping US with that!! Especially like that California one, since it is one of the special ones WE NEED to survive!! You know that?
Maybe I misunderstood??
Hugs!
delalluvia:
--- Quote from: brokeplex on February 10, 2008, 09:15:49 pm ---the technology useful in deflecting an asteroidal or cometary crash on Earth exists today. nuclear missles, lasers all exist, the question is how long would it take to construct reliable systems in Earth or near Earth orbit which could deflect those NEOs. this threat to the planet is real, there is excellent video of the Hale-Bopp comet impacting Jupiter a few years ago. the explosions which occured on Jupiter were more powerful than the explosion which ended the Mesozoic and extinguished most of the dinosaurs.
--- End quote ---
The technology exists, but the actual logistics are still up in the air, so to speak. Nuclear missiles as a solution have been dismissed out of hand, since they might make a large dangerous object into a bunch of much smaller dangerous objects. Lasers exist, but they would have to be mounted on a ship to go out to deflect said asteroid, and who knows what size and power we will need and how fast we'll need it. Will we have it when the NEO is identified? I've seen on science documentaries that the technology exists for asteroids, but not for errant comets which are also a problem - as you said. Recently, the scientific community was practicing landing on a comet just to see if we could - a great opportunity taken advantage of. We might have to land a ship on an asteroid and use its engines to redirect the object.
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