Posted on 06/19/2015 5:00:23 AM PDT by lbryce
It may sound like a science fiction movie, but in a small conference room at the Goddard Space Flight Center, a tight-knit group of top NASA scientists is coming up with new ways to protect our planet from killer asteroids.
The idea is to repurpose and build on technologies being developed for other space missions.
How big is the threat from asteroids? Well, Jason Kessler, NASA's director of the Grand Challenge, says that as of Wednesday morning asteroid hunters around the world have identified and are tracking 12,706 Near Earth Objects (NEOs) -- or asteroids - that could come close to Earth.
"Of those 1,593 are potentially hazardous, meaning they might cross earth's path," he said.
Another 800 of the total tracked asteroids are a kilometer or more in length. Some of those -- 152 -- also have the potential to cross the Earth's path, something Kessler said would be, "devastating."
"We have discovered about 95% of the one kilometer or larger asteroids, that's roughly the size of the one that is thought to have wiped out the dinosaurs upon impact," he said in an earlier interview with CNN. "Unfortunately we only know about roughly 1% of those asteroids that get down to the 30 meter size, so there's a tremendous amount out there that we have yet to discover."
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
Me.
It inspired me to get a dashcam...
We deserve to be doomed.
NASA could not save itself. What makes this author think NASA could save the world?
I saw Bruce Willis portray it. So it must be possible, right?
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120591/
Does it involve camping nakid in the woods, banging on drums, and a lot of crying NASA???
Will that make it go away???
uhhhh, almost fergot...
“/sarc”
There, I feel better...;-)
That’s it!!! We’re Saved!!!
I gotta to get that and Galaga in the original Arcade game console for my “Mancave”!!!
They got to be fairly cheap, right??? Going shopping now!!!
;-)
Praise Bob!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.