U.N. Urged to Take On Asteroid Threat (2036?)(Freep Poll)

AOL News/Reuters ^ | February 18, 2007 | Irene Klotz

[2ndDivisionVet]

SAN FRANCISCO (Feb. 18) - An asteroid may come uncomfortably close to Earth in 2036 and the United Nations should assume responsibility for a space mission to deflect it, a group of astronauts, engineers and scientists said on Saturday.

Astronomers are monitoring an asteroid named Apophis, which has a 1 in 45,000 chance of striking Earth on April 13, 2036.

Although the odds of an impact by this particular asteroid are low, a recent congressional mandate for NASA to upgrade its tracking of near-Earth asteroids is expected to uncover hundreds, if not thousands of threatening space rocks in the near future, former astronaut Rusty Schweickart said.

"It's not just Apophis we're looking at. Every country is at risk. We need a set of general principles to deal with this issue," Schweickart, a member of the Apollo 9 crew that orbited the earth in March 1969, told an American Association for the Advancement of Science conference in San Francisco.

Schweickart plans to present an update next week to the U.N. Committee on Peaceful Uses of Outer Space on plans to develop a blueprint for a global response to an asteroid threat.

The Association of Space Explorers, a group of former astronauts and cosmonauts, intends to host a series of high-level workshops this year to flesh out the plan and will make a formal proposal to the U.N. in 2009, he said.

[silverleaf]

I can see the UN putting Fiji or Ghana in charge of this mission.

[silverleaf]

That aint no ordinary asteroid- it's a wake-up call for the 12th imam!
(IRNA/sarc)

[darth]

A series of craters in Argentina indicate that a fairly large asteroid came in at a low angle and broke up about 10,000 years ago. The estimated energy released was a GIGATON (that's equivalent to 1000 one megaton nukes). That's enough to change the climate for a while. Yup, asteroids and comets are a real threat.

[Piquaboy]

What are they going to do about it, talk it to pieces?

[silverleaf]

Yes, as soon as something like this happens, everyone at the UN will be demanding that America do something about it; that any solution ensure equally protection for every nation and every species in the world, not primarily America or humans, but that it be paid for by America (with a new tax on America for the "UN" save-the-world program;

the UN set will decry the fact this celestial hazard was discovered only 1/2/5/10/30 years before impact was all the result of Bush spending too much time on the war in Iraq and that America is somehow at fault for misusing the world's resources.

China Russia France and Iran will work underhandedly to ensure America is not perceived as heroic or glorious for "arrogantly" taking charge. All star-wars defense defense programs will be subject to their espionage (aka monitoring and inspection) to ensure America is not developing "weapons" to take over a post-asteroid world

Kerry, Albright and the mad US liberals will chime that running this program by international committees via conferences at 5 star hotels in Geneva will be the perfect opportunity to finally develop a "multi polar" world.

The libs will demand immediate international controls over earth's vital resources, over all business and finance, to avoid panic and gouging (as their personal holdings accumulate in gold in Macao/Swiss/ Bahamian bank vaults). They will demand that American law enforcement step up surveillance and penalties against "right wingers" who might accumulate personal weapons and food and survival supplies.

Oh, and they will probably demand that Al Gore or Bill Clinton be put in charge of the "save the earth" program as an international ambassador.

[Eagles Talon IV]

Great idea!! The UN can pass a resolution directing the asteroid to stay clear of Earth.

[Reeses]

Global Warming Back-up Plan (Plan B)

Below is a picture of what rocket scientists look like. Note they are all white men. Plan B can never get funded by the UN.

[Rakkasan1]

now "Asteroids for A-holes."

[FreeAtlanta]

Global Warming, astroids, super volcanos.... stuff we can't do much - if anything - about.

Islam- something the world's civilizations can do something about (if we hurry before its too late).

So, what does the UN, Liberals and the PC police focus the light own? Seems like they are deliberatly focusing attention away from a solvable problem. Why?

[incredulous joe]

Okay,...let me see if I can get my head around this?

A group of scientists, including one former NASA astronaut, located in San Francisco, claim that by the year 2036 our planet will be hit by an asteroid, resulting in catastrophic disaster, untold death and destruction and - here is the part that gets me - they're calling on the United Nations to do something about it to protect us.

This is what Freepers call ZOT,...right??

[incredulous joe]

I thought of this great idea a couple of years ago when I first started hearing this kind of claptrap; I think we need to develop a kind of giant fist, which could be deployed just beyond the earth's gravitational pull to protect us from these potentially disastrous asteroids and space debris.

When something is headed dangerously close to the planet we could simply launch "SPACE FIST" to defend the unsuspecting populace of mother earth.

I think this is a great idea and can't wait to get working on some of the drawings with my 8 year old tonight!! I hope we can get some funding. If anyone out there knows how to write a grant for such a project please FReepmail me.

;0)

[spacewarp]

Either that or PETA will discover some microbes on it, and we won't be able to touch the "endangered" species.

[Kellis91789]

I think this may be an exception to the "If you want less of something, tax it" rule.

[Drammach]

A series of craters in Argentina indicate that a fairly large asteroid came in at a low angle and broke up about 10,000 years ago.

Apparently that theory has been amended..

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2002/05/0509_020509_glassmeteorite.html

Seems the original impact may have been as much as 500,000 years ago..

[darth]

Thanks for the updated data. That's what I love about science; new data requires us to challenge old theories and adjust our perspectives.