Asteroid Threat Demands Response, Experts Warn

New Scientist ^ | 2-17-2007 | Ivan Semeniuk

[Mad_Tom_Rackham]

WHEN THE ASTEROID DESTROYS THE EARTH, WILL YOU BE SAFE? Scientists predict that the asteroid 2002NT7 is on a collision course with earth, and may smash into it on Feb 1, 2019.

According to the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the odds against the meteor hitting earth are one in 200,000. However, we'd like to point out that the odds against winning the lottery are one in eighty million. And people win it all the time!

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Don't let the NT7 Asteroid burn you. Be safe and secure, knowing you're protected by McGuffin's, last name in casualty insurance. When in town, visit our haggis museum.

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[Vince Ferrer]

"this is inherently going to be an international decision".

This is why, if it ever actually comes down to it, the US should just go ahead and fix it ourselves.

The last thing we need it to set up some UN office, run by Kofi Annan or some such bureaucrat, who embezzles his budget only to find there is nothing built which can handle the threat when it actually comes.

Fix it ourselves, save the planet, and earn the eternal hatred of the rest of the world for our trouble.

[AwesomePossum]

blam - a most appropriate screen name for this article...........

Revelation 8:8-9

8 And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood:
9 And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed.

[Brilliant]

1 in 45,000.....




Looks like we're going to have to evacuate San Fransisco. Sorry guys.

[Kozak]

There is a considerably greater chance than 1:45,000 that we can figure out a better way to spend the money required to deflect this asteroid.

Sneer all you want. We WILL get hit someday. The money spent on preventing that would be cheap insurance.

[BenLurkin]

If ever there was an American city that deserved to be swept away in a catastrophe...

[AFPhys]

Put a number on the price. Put a probability on the likelihood that for that amount we can prevent a hit.

Only then will we be able to decide whether it is "cheap insurance".

[AFPhys]

...
PS... until then, I'll continue to sneer.

[x]

We're sending Bruce Willis and Ben Affleck up to drill a hole in it and explode a nuclear bomb.

Even if this all turns out to be a false alarm, we still get rid of Ben Affleck.

[AwesomePossum]

We're sending Bruce Willis and Ben Affleck up to drill a hole in it and explode a nuclear bomb. Even if this all turns out to be a false alarm, we still get rid of Ben Affleck.

LOL........I like.........

:}

[Publius6961]

Have no fear, the UN is here...

Taaah Daaaah!

THE UN WILL SAVE US!

[JohnBovenmyer]

The humor may be timely, but this specific risk no longer is so. 2002 NT7 was removed from the NEO Impact risk listings 2002-08-01 15:59 after "all previously detected potential impacts have been eliminated."

[honolulugal]

"1 in 45,000..... Looks like we're going to have to evacuate San Fransisco. Sorry guys."

LOL!

[grey_whiskers]

[johnmark7]

Asteroids have a way of exploding when they approach a planet. They have an electrical charge at their core which fails to to equalize rapidly enough with the different charge of a planet which creates internal stresses that cause them to become bolides.

See Tunguska Event
http://www.thunderbolts.info/tpod/2006/arch06/060915tunguska1.htm

http://www.thunderbolts.info/tpod/2006/arch06/060918tunguska2.htm

A comet involved in the Chicago and Peshtigo fires:
http://www.thunderbolts.info/tpod/2006/arch06/060920chicagofire.htm

When Comets Break Apart

http://www.thunderbolts.info/tpod/2006/arch06/060825cometsbreak.htm

The Peekskill Meteor (it blew up)
http://www.thunderbolts.info/tpod/2006/arch06/060601meteor.htm

Comet Schwassman-Wachmann 3 Disintegrates 1 & 2
http://www.thunderbolts.info/tpod/2006/arch06/060505cometbreakup.htm
http://www.thunderbolts.info/tpod/2006/arch06/060508cometbreakup2.htm

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks for the pings.

Action urged to deal with asteroid likely to hit Earth
(Please read and respond to my comment)
Todayonline | 12-08-05 | Guardian
Posted on 12/09/2005 12:07:47 PM EST by emiller
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1537189/posts

Astronaut Seeks Craft to Bump Asteroids
AP via Earthlink | January 23, 2007 | AP
Posted on 01/23/2007 11:52:26 PM EST by John W
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1772659/posts

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks blam.

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[TimSkalaBim]

... 13 April 2036 ...

Great. The day I retire.

[SunkenCiv]

now listed under "Objects Not Recently Observed",
but 1:45000 chance of striking Earth
http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/risk/

Scientist: Asteroid May Hit Earth in 2029
Yahoo/AP | 12/23/04 | JOHN ANTCZAK
Posted on 12/23/2004 11:24:16 PM EST by hole_n_one
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1307719/posts

[SunkenCiv]

2006 JY26
1:185 chance of impact,
but only .007 km diameter (7.6 yards, about 23 feet)
http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/risk/2006jy26.html