NASA unveils plan to test asteroid defense technique

ClickOrlando.com ^ | July 1, 2017 | Dakin Adone

[plain talk]

On Friday, the space agency announced plans to redirect the course of a small asteroid approaching Earth, as part of the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART), according to a NASA press release.

The release notes that asteroids hit Earth nearly every day, but most are small enough to burn up in the atmosphere. But the DART project -- a joint effort between NASA and the John Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Maryland -- is for the asteroids that are too big to break up -- those that could have severe consequences for the Earth if they hit.

"DART would be NASA's first mission to demonstrate what's known as the kinetic impactor technique -- striking the asteroid to shift its orbit -- to defend against a potential future asteroid impact," said Lindley Johnson, NASA's planetary defense officer in Washington, in the press release.

DART launch set for October 2022

[plain talk]

Well this is something NASA should be working on ... instead of muslim outreach.

[Molon Labbie]

A start of a return to sanity.

Of course we could multi-task and tell muslims that the the approaching asteroid has a cartoon of mohamhead deep inside.

[Secret Agent Man]

The dart program sounds like a good program we should be using for muslim outreach.

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

Wonder if a drone can be programmed to knock it off its trajectory?

[Fungi]

Nonsense. If God wanted to destroy the planet, it would have happened long ago. And when He does, humanity cannot do a damn thing about it, in any matter He chooses. Worthless money spent on a nonexistent problem.

[doorgunner69]

What could go wrong?

Nudge it the wrong way so that it is aimed at earth? Ooops, my bad....

[Popman]

——Wonder if a drone can be programmed to knock it off its trajectory?——

A drone ?

Doesn’t a drone need an atmosphere to fly in ?

Even a small asteroid needs to impacted in space to move it off a earth trajectory.

[ETL]

[ETL]

[Dr. Bogus Pachysandra]

Interesting. In the last few months we seem to be hearing about more asteroids. Are we entering into a more dangerous spaced?

[DuncanWaring]

Women and Minorities hardest hit!

[Crucial]

The NASA Muslim outreach program needs to be cancelled pronto.

[JohnBovenmyer]

Do the testing to figure out how to change their orbits on asteroids who’s orbits are now entirely inside ours. Minimize the risk. Once you’ve figured out how to move them then do the additional work to determine how to approach asteroids in potentially dangerous orbits to apply the lessons of the former.

[ETL]

[Paladin2]

I hope they get all of their unit conversions correct and don’t end up sending the asteroid into the Kabaa...

[bankwalker]

There was once a book called Lucifer’s Hammer ...

[gaijin]

[gaijin]

Hmm....it all seems...so familiar, somehow...

[The_Media_never_lie]

If you see a bright light in the sky and it vears off to the left or right, you will be fine. However, if it just keeps getting bigger..........you have a problem.

[The_Media_never_lie]

If you see a bright light in the sky and it vears off to the left or right, you will be fine. However, if it just keeps getting bigger..........you have a problem.