[Diamond]

This is great; Let's SEE WHAT HAPPENS if we hit a 4 mile wide comet with a big bomb!

Well one thing for certain - pieces of the comet will gain a new trajectory/orbit.

So - lets see if we hit a comet with a celestial hammer if we can knock it off course - maybe we can get it or some of the pieces to swerve into an earth orbit! Great idea!

[orionblamblam]

> maybe we can get it or some of the pieces to swerve into an earth orbit!

Not with a measly 800 pound kinetic impactor, you won't.

[Shryke]

Dude. Someone should, like, make a movie about that or something. With, like, oil drillers or something. And a hot chick. Yah.

[Rebelbase]

Sounds like a plot line for a Japanese sci-fi flick.

If we disturb Rodan's eggs there's gonna be hell to pay.

[Fiddlstix]

BTTT

[prophetic]

and yeah, so instead of ONE 4 mile wide piece of space rock, how about 1,000 pieces each averaging about 1,000 feet across to pummel the Earth.

Each piece capable to being a Mega City killer.

yeah smart NASA, really smart I say!!

[frog_jerk_2004]

At the time of the collision, the comet Tempel 1 will be close enough for astronomers to monitor what happens.

This is great; Let's SEE WHAT HAPPENS if we hit a 4 mile wide comet with a big bomb!

CLOSE ENOUGH FOR US TO SEE. This seems like a self fulfilling prophecy of Hollywood!

[mhking]

This sounds like the opening of a REALLY bad movie...

[Salgak]

. . .but how can we blow apart a comet without a pair of special, armored shuttles, Bruce Willis, Ben Affleck, and a lovable crew of red-shirted Oil-rig workers ??

Not to mention without Aerosmith doing a theme song for the mission ????

. . .and in the meantime, a Merry Christmas to all. .

[RightWhale]

The collision may be visible to the eye from earth.

[newgeezer]

The mission is stated to cost approximately $ 330 million.

I buy generic groceries to save $8 so Uncle Sam can throw it at stuff like this.

[Twinkie]

Now lemmesee. The Tower of Babel was one of man's early bad scientific efforts. The latest worst one may just be the Hammer of NASA. Sometimes I feel like just a little bug at the mercy of the great scientific minds of this world. . you know, the ones who FORGET to comb their hair or put on socks in freezing weather or who want to bust up one big rock into a million unpredictable pieces. Common sense anyone?

[TigersEye]

If comets do turn out to be space ships of highly advanced beings then we're in deep shiite.

[Bikers4Bush]

"The debris that will be kicked up will reveal, for the very first time, just what a comet is made of."

Rocks and dust, now give me the $330 million they were going to spend.

[GreenHornet]

The mission management team is not sure what they hope or expect to find. Within the team there is already much speculation and even friendly betting. Most are in favor of finding chunks of water ice.

If they are interested in finding water ice, there's plenty of places in South Philly where it can be found.....and it won't cost $330 million.

[Boiling point]

Hell, that's only about the weight of a big block car engine, and much less mass than say, an air liner crash, I don't think it will be very significant.

[snopercod]

[Squawk 8888]

So when does Greenpeace plan to launch a "save the comet" campaign?

[Squawk 8888]

((((.))))

[HairOfTheDog]

This is great; Let's SEE WHAT HAPPENS if we hit a 4 mile wide comet with a big bomb!

Guys with cool jobs...

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

Scientists at NASA are very eager to know what happens after the impact.

In The Douglas Adams Universe, one of the pieces is placed on a new trajectory after the cleaving and heads straight for Earth, impacting it and snuffing out all life on the planet.

If the Dolphins hadn't already left, I'm sure their last message would be "So long and thanks for all the fish."