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Cuts cast doubt on asteroid plan


Waspie_Dwarf

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Plans to more precisely plot the orbit of an asteroid with a small chance of hitting Earth in 2036 may be badly hit by funding cuts to a US radar facility.

Radar measurements set to be made in January 2013 by the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico, US, could help rule out an impact by asteroid Apophis.

But the cuts mean Arecibo needs an extra $2m-$3m a year to continue.

If not, the observations planned for 2011-2013 will have to be abandoned, the facility's director told BBC News.

Dr Michael Nolan said he was "moderately optimistic" that the money could be found.

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Thats not a good thing for sure, Mankind must detect these dangers before they get so close its to late to do anything about them, I have not read up on recent news about a way to deflect an asteroid but the last I knew it was wrapped up in red tape,

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if the funding isn't forthcoming couldn't we just pick up were we left of by re-tracking it in 2020 giving us 16 years to do something. am sure from now till 2036 we'll be coming up with ideas of how to stop asteroids hitting earth.

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By 2036 the United States may not even be a country. No gloom and Doom prediction, just saying things change. ;)

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By 2036 the United States may not even be a country. No gloom and Doom prediction, just saying things change. ;)

If we cannot "find" 2 or 3 million dollars to fund Arecibo research and observation, you may be right, ROG.

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We were at the same place Three years ago as far as funding When Will mankind Learn? After its too Late dosnt Count!

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I'm happy for the cuts, cuz its a waste of money to study asteroids, because let's be real, nothing can stop something that size traveling at those speeds, stoping an asteroid is great for sci fi movies but not feasible in real life

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I'm happy for the cuts, cuz its a waste of money to study asteroids, because let's be real, nothing can stop something that size traveling at those speeds, stoping an asteroid is great for sci fi movies but not feasible in real life

Firstly I welcome you to the UM forums sp840tril,

Secondly its obvious that you have not done any kind of homework before making such a bold statement, Fact is scienctists from all around have came up with some very plausible ideas on how to deflect an asteroid, One of the best ideas (I have raed about) is to park a craft next to the asteroid and use a gravity pull to move it off course by just enough to get it out of its course if it was going to hit earth, Another idea is the tractor spacecraft which would simply fly up to an asteroid and push it off course to miss earth which would not take alot to do,

As far as the speed of an asteroid let me say we have already landed a craft on an asteroid and speed of them is no big deal, The name of the asteroid we landed on was Eros and you can read about it By Clicking Here

And CLICK HERE To read up on research that is underway on asteroid deflection,

Its a matter of survival to deflect these killer rocks out there;

Regards;

TFF

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One of the best ideas (I have raed about) is to park a craft next to the asteroid and use a gravity pull to move it off course by just enough to get it out of its course if it was going to hit earth, Another idea is the tractor spacecraft which would simply fly up to an asteroid and push it off course to miss earth which would not take alot to do,

These are good ideas for sure but there is no telling if any of these ideas would work. How do we know a spacecraft flying into an asteroid from the opposite direction wouldn't just break up the asteroid into many smaller asteroids rather than push it away? What are we going to do then if instead of 1 asteroid we have 8 asteroids to worry about?

Edited by Squierman
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Alright, 2012 Apophis will clearly miss the earth. 2036, not likely, but in line at least with geosynchronous satellites, what about 2061? Will it pass the other side of the earth, slam into it, or is it too early to tell?

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Alright, 2012 Apophis will clearly miss the earth. 2036, not likely, but in line at least with geosynchronous satellites, what about 2061? Will it pass the other side of the earth, slam into it, or is it too early to tell?

probable to late for 2012, but we could put a mining ship up and mine those other two out of existance. although the nature people should be happy if we get hit since it is a normal part of nature.

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probable to late for 2012, but we could put a mining ship up and mine those other two out of existance. although the nature people should be happy if we get hit since it is a normal part of nature.

I knew of tree huger but asteroid huger is new to me... :blink: :blink: how do they do that??? :innocent:

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If the asteroid might hit the Earth in 2036 you'd figure that somebody would scrape up $2 to $3 million from somewhere. How dumb - anything to save a buck. :blink:

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I`LL BE THERE ! COOKING B.B.Q AND PASSING OUT THE DRINKS WITH BADESKOV! Its nothing to worry about We Are safe from all Space junk and asteroids !

Its the Rock hard Brain damaged Politicians here on Earth That worry me the Most !

But It wouldnt hurt to Have A better set of Actual Counter measures ready to Go! Actually Built and Ready to Go ! Stuff!

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These are good ideas for sure but there is no telling if any of these ideas would work. How do we know a spacecraft flying into an asteroid from the opposite direction wouldn't just break up the asteroid into many smaller asteroids rather than push it away? What are we going to do then if instead of 1 asteroid we have 8 asteroids to worry about?

Mine bolded in the quote,

They would not fly the spacecraft into the asteroid but rather they would come up next to it (heres and exaple of the tractor method) In the tractor method the craft would simply pull up next to the asteroid and then just get close to it very slowly and eventually touch the asteroid and begin pushing it off its coarse enough to make it miss earth, If they could push it just a few degrees that would be enough to push it off course so it would miss the earth,

Regards;

TFF

Edit for spelling;

Edited by thefinalfrontier
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Haven't the Russians sent something out to move this asteroid?

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Haven't the Russians sent something out to move this asteroid?

Scratches head,, I have not read anything of this Darkwind but I guess its possible I missed it somehow along the way, What have you read about it??

Regards;

TFF

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I just now happned across this article on one possible way to move an asteroid off course,

Say No To Mass Extinction

You may have heard that there is an 86 per cent chance that in a mere million years or so Gliese 710 will drift close enough to the solar system to perturb the Oort cloud and perhaps send a rain of comets down into the inner solar system.

Also, you have probably heard that there are hints of a certain periodicity in mass extinction events, perhaps linked to the solar system moving through the denser parts of the galactic disk, increasing the probability of similar close encounters.

So, the big bad is coming… sometime. It might just be a stray asteroid thats in the wrong place at the wrong time and have little to do with whats happening outside the solar system. In any case, we need to stay calm and carry on and maybe print the following handy survival tips on a fridge magnet.

Immediate action: Fund sky surveys.

The Spaceguard Survey is underway aiming to identify near Earth objects down to the size of 140 meters. At present the survey might be finished in ten or fifteen years and it completely missed two small objects which are thought to have hit Earth in 2002 with impact energies approaching half a kiloton.

Uh, anyone think we could be doing more in this space?

Medium term action (0 10 years): Evacuate the area

The 2010 National Academy of Science (NAS) report uses the strange term civil defence, but really it just means run for your life (i.e. evacuate the anticipated impact site). City destroyers in the 140 meter plus range may only hit Earth every 30,000 years or so, but it doesnt hurt to be ready.

Mass extinction objects in the ten kilometer range may only come every 65 million years or so. If its one of these… bummer.

gravtug_durda_smallf_660x4231-580x371.jpg

Artist's impression of a gravity tug - an ecosystem saving device we haven't built yet. Credit: Durda/BBC News

FULL ARTICLE

Edited by thefinalfrontier
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probable to late for 2012, but we could put a mining ship up and mine those other two out of existance. although the nature people should be happy if we get hit since it is a normal part of nature.

I would say to them that it is also natural to evolve into an intelligent life form that is capable of redirecting an asteroid. That's a biggie for nature IMO.

I miscalculated somewhat, it is due back in 2068, and apparently the odds of it hitting the earth are 3 in one million. Odds in 2036 are 1 in 250,000 so I am guessing it must be going to go the far side, and then we should be OK from that one at least for quite some time?

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