Posted on 12/18/2008 1:54:28 PM PST by presidio9
A blue-ribbon panel of scientists is trying to determine the best way to detect and ward off any wandering space rocks that might be on a collision course with Earth.
"We’re looking for the killer asteroid," James Heasley, of the University of Hawaii’s Institute for Astronomy, said last week to the committee that the National Academy of Sciences created at Congress’ request.
Congress asked the academy to conduct the study after astronomers were unable to eliminate an extremely slight chance that an asteroid called Apophis will slam into Earth with devastating effect in 2036.
Apophis was discovered in 2004 about 17 million miles from Earth on a course that would overlap our planet’s orbit in 2029 and return seven years later. Observers said the asteroid — a massive boulder left over from the birth of the solar system — is about 1,000 feet wide and weighs at least 50 million tons.
After further observations, astronomers reported that the asteroid would skim by Earth harmlessly in 2029, but it has a 1 in 44,000 probability of slamming into our planet on Easter Sunday, April 13, 2036.
Small changes in Apophis’ path that could make the difference between a hit or a miss are possible, according to Jon Giorgini, a planetary analyst in NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif.
"We have not eliminated the threat in 2036,"
(Excerpt) Read more at star-telegram.com ...
What if it’s cheaper to rebuild after the hit?
Someone must have done a cost-benefit analysis.
Can Katrinicans get an extension on their housing assistance until 2037 now?
“Got Asteroids?”
“No, but my Dad does... can’t even sit on the toilet some days.”
sorry we have more important things to worry about. Like global warming and saving the polar bears.
April 13, naturally. That part of the calendar has lots of notable disasters. San Francisco quake of ‘06, Titanic sinking, Lincoln shot, death of FDR, all within a few days in the cruelest month.
(Though August is competitive.)
I had a bad case of asteroids once. Surgery took care of them.
One such deflecting asteroid that appears to be headed right for the United States, is about to be sworn in next month. The empirical evidence that severe damage would result, was entirely ignored by the political scientists and this nation’s MSM.
If it hits China, Russia or the mid-east, then the cost-benefit analysis would work out pretty good.
Valuable resource, capture it.
Because they both circle Uranus looking for clingons
Hey, this would be a great idea for a movie! Or a video game!
We don't have to worry, do we?
I thought the glaciers were going to melt by then and drown us all.
;->
Whenever I hear a scientist talk about Apophis, they usually mention that it is big enough to take out a city, but that the chances of it actually hitting the earth are something like 1 in 40,000. They usually fail to remind us that 75% of the Earth’s surface is ocean, and that man only inhabits about 10% of the land surface. Cities make up less than 1/10th of 1% of the surface of the planet. Therefore the chances of Apophis hitting a city in 20 years are less than 1 in 4 million, and if one were targeted at a city, we’d know months in advance and could evacuate.
It the Goreberoid.
Excuse me, but that is also my birthday...
One I share with Thomas Jefferson.
;-)
If a large enough one hits anywhere, it would be an ELE*.
Just like the one which hit in the Yucatan that took out the dinosaurs.
(*That’s Extinction-Level-Event for you folks in Rio Linda.)
Bruce Willis...please pick up the courtesy phone...
I say we start zigging and zagging to make ourselves a tough target to hit. Asteroids ALWAYS take the easy shot. I’ll get with P-E’s team on this one and then get back to you.
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