Russians might deflect asteroid for lack of anything else to do ;)
#1
Posted 31 December 2009 - 05:34 AM
http://news.yahoo.co...eroid_encounter
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MOSCOW – Russia's space agency chief said Wednesday a spacecraft may be dispatched to knock a large asteroid off course and reduce the chances of earth impact, even though U.S. scientists say such a scenario is unlikely.
Anatoly Perminov told Golos Rossii radio the space agency would hold a meeting soon to assess a mission to Apophis. He said his agency might eventually invite NASA, the European Space Agency, the Chinese space agency and others to join the project.
When the 270-meter (885-foot) asteroid was first discovered in 2004, astronomers estimated its chances of smashing into Earth in its first flyby, in 2029, at 1-in-37.
Further studies have ruled out the possibility of an impact in 2029, when the asteroid is expected to come no closer than 18,300 miles (29,450 kilometers) from Earth's surface, but they indicated a small possibility of a hit on subsequent encounters.
NASA had put the chances that Apophis could hit Earth in 2036 as 1-in-45,000. In October, after researchers recalculated the asteroid's path, the agency changed its estimate to 1-in-250,000.
NASA said another close encounter in 2068 will involve a 1-in-330,000 chance of impact.
Don Yeomans, who heads NASA's Near-Earth Object Program, said better calculations of Apophis' path in several years "will almost certainly remove any possibility of an Earth collision" in 2036.
"While Apophis is almost certainly not a problem, I am encouraged that the Russian science community is willing to study the various deflection options that would be available in the event of a future Earth threatening encounter by an asteroid," Yeomans said in an e-mail Wednesday.
Without mentioning NASA's conclusions, Perminov said that he heard from a scientist that Apophis is getting closer and may hit the planet. "I don't remember exactly, but it seems to me it could hit the Earth by 2032," Perminov said.
"People's lives are at stake. We should pay several hundred million dollars and build a system that would allow us to prevent a collision, rather than sit and wait for it to happen and kill hundreds of thousands of people," Perminov said.
Scientists have long theorized about asteroid deflection strategies. Some have proposed sending a probe to circle around a dangerous asteroid to gradually change its trajectory. Others suggested sending a spacecraft to collide with the asteroid and alter its momentum, or hitting it with nuclear weapons.
Perminov wouldn't disclose any details of the project, saying they still need to be worked out. But he said the mission wouldn't require any nuclear explosions.
Hollywood action films "Deep Impact" and "Armageddon," have featured space missions scrambling to avoid catastrophic collisions. In both movies, space crews use nuclear bombs in an attempt to prevent collisions.
"Calculations show that it's possible to create a special purpose spacecraft within the time we have, which would help avoid the collision," Perminov said. "The threat of collision can be averted."
Boris Shustov, the director of the Institute of Astronomy under the Russian Academy of Sciences, hailed Perminov's statement as a signal that officials had come to recognize the danger posed by asteroids.
"Apophis is just a symbolic example, there are many other dangerous objects we know little about," he said, according to RIA Novosti news agency.
I recall hearing about Apophis a few years back. What do you think they'll do? My guess is, they will create a giant swat out of Macros' hands. It's the only safe option.
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MOSCOW – Russia's space agency chief said Wednesday a spacecraft may be dispatched to knock a large asteroid off course and reduce the chances of earth impact, even though U.S. scientists say such a scenario is unlikely.
Anatoly Perminov told Golos Rossii radio the space agency would hold a meeting soon to assess a mission to Apophis. He said his agency might eventually invite NASA, the European Space Agency, the Chinese space agency and others to join the project.
When the 270-meter (885-foot) asteroid was first discovered in 2004, astronomers estimated its chances of smashing into Earth in its first flyby, in 2029, at 1-in-37.
Further studies have ruled out the possibility of an impact in 2029, when the asteroid is expected to come no closer than 18,300 miles (29,450 kilometers) from Earth's surface, but they indicated a small possibility of a hit on subsequent encounters.
NASA had put the chances that Apophis could hit Earth in 2036 as 1-in-45,000. In October, after researchers recalculated the asteroid's path, the agency changed its estimate to 1-in-250,000.
NASA said another close encounter in 2068 will involve a 1-in-330,000 chance of impact.
Don Yeomans, who heads NASA's Near-Earth Object Program, said better calculations of Apophis' path in several years "will almost certainly remove any possibility of an Earth collision" in 2036.
"While Apophis is almost certainly not a problem, I am encouraged that the Russian science community is willing to study the various deflection options that would be available in the event of a future Earth threatening encounter by an asteroid," Yeomans said in an e-mail Wednesday.
Without mentioning NASA's conclusions, Perminov said that he heard from a scientist that Apophis is getting closer and may hit the planet. "I don't remember exactly, but it seems to me it could hit the Earth by 2032," Perminov said.
"People's lives are at stake. We should pay several hundred million dollars and build a system that would allow us to prevent a collision, rather than sit and wait for it to happen and kill hundreds of thousands of people," Perminov said.
Scientists have long theorized about asteroid deflection strategies. Some have proposed sending a probe to circle around a dangerous asteroid to gradually change its trajectory. Others suggested sending a spacecraft to collide with the asteroid and alter its momentum, or hitting it with nuclear weapons.
Perminov wouldn't disclose any details of the project, saying they still need to be worked out. But he said the mission wouldn't require any nuclear explosions.
Hollywood action films "Deep Impact" and "Armageddon," have featured space missions scrambling to avoid catastrophic collisions. In both movies, space crews use nuclear bombs in an attempt to prevent collisions.
"Calculations show that it's possible to create a special purpose spacecraft within the time we have, which would help avoid the collision," Perminov said. "The threat of collision can be averted."
Boris Shustov, the director of the Institute of Astronomy under the Russian Academy of Sciences, hailed Perminov's statement as a signal that officials had come to recognize the danger posed by asteroids.
"Apophis is just a symbolic example, there are many other dangerous objects we know little about," he said, according to RIA Novosti news agency.
I recall hearing about Apophis a few years back. What do you think they'll do? My guess is, they will create a giant swat out of Macros' hands. It's the only safe option.
Suck it Errant!
"It's time to kick ass and chew bubblegum...and I'm all out of gum."
QUOTE (KeithF @ Jun 30 2009, 09:49 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
It has been proven beyond all reasonable doubt that the most powerful force on Wu is a bunch of messed-up Malazans with Moranth munitions.
#2
Posted 31 December 2009 - 08:16 AM
in before "send Bruce Willis"
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Why dont they make the whole plane out of that black box stuff?
Why dont they make the whole plane out of that black box stuff?
#3
Posted 31 December 2009 - 09:26 AM
If any one could save us all, it would be the Russians, because with Vodka anything is possible.
In a world gone mad, we will not spank the monkey, but the monkey will spank us.
#4
Posted 31 December 2009 - 10:18 AM
russian parts
american parts
ALL MADE IN TAIWAN!!
american parts
ALL MADE IN TAIWAN!!
2012
"Imperial Gothos, Imperial"
"Imperial Gothos, Imperial"
#5
Posted 31 December 2009 - 10:50 AM
Macros, on 31 December 2009 - 10:18 AM, said:
russian parts
american parts
ALL MADE IN TAIWAN!!
american parts
ALL MADE IN TAIWAN!!
998AMG_Peter_Stormare_001.jpg (54.39K)
Number of downloads: 4
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Why dont they make the whole plane out of that black box stuff?
Why dont they make the whole plane out of that black box stuff?
#6
Posted 31 December 2009 - 11:02 AM
well, I must say I like the idea of space agencies doing something beneficial again. and awesome.
just how awesome is knocking an asteroid off course? that's Star Wars right there in our sky! yahoo!
just how awesome is knocking an asteroid off course? that's Star Wars right there in our sky! yahoo!
It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; because there is not effort without error and shortcomings; but who does actually strive to do the deed; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and who at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly. So that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.
#7
Posted 31 December 2009 - 11:23 AM
I just hope they wait until the last second before deflecting it-I want to give our impending doom a one-finger salute.
Suck it Errant!
"It's time to kick ass and chew bubblegum...and I'm all out of gum."
QUOTE (KeithF @ Jun 30 2009, 09:49 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
It has been proven beyond all reasonable doubt that the most powerful force on Wu is a bunch of messed-up Malazans with Moranth munitions.
#8
Posted 31 December 2009 - 03:49 PM
270m? not metal? nuke it.
Problem solved.
Awesome that someone seems to give a shit about figuring out how to really do this though.
Problem solved.
Awesome that someone seems to give a shit about figuring out how to really do this though.
#9
Posted 01 January 2010 - 10:45 AM
Strap an engine to it and bring it into a stable orbit and turn it into a decent space station.
TTFN
TTFN
Imagine a world without such souls.
Yes, it should have been harder to do.
Yes, it should have been harder to do.
#10
Posted 01 January 2010 - 08:45 PM
It'd be ironic if they ended up deflecting it such that it would hit us after all...
#11
Posted 02 January 2010 - 01:46 AM
D, on 01 January 2010 - 08:45 PM, said:
It'd be ironic if they ended up deflecting it such that it would hit us after all...
All the people of the world would join together in one last massive facepalm.
Suck it Errant!
"It's time to kick ass and chew bubblegum...and I'm all out of gum."
QUOTE (KeithF @ Jun 30 2009, 09:49 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
It has been proven beyond all reasonable doubt that the most powerful force on Wu is a bunch of messed-up Malazans with Moranth munitions.
#12
Posted 07 January 2010 - 01:22 AM
In Soviet Russia, asteroid deflect you!
Also, they'll probably have Vladimir Putin shoot it with a rifle from Siberia to deflect it. While on camera. Not wearing a shirt.
More seriously, it doesn't seem like such a bad idea to practice deflecting an asteroid that probably isn't going to hit us, so that if one comes along that definitely *will* hit us if nothing is done, the deflection mission will have a greater chance of success through data gathered the first time around.
Also, they'll probably have Vladimir Putin shoot it with a rifle from Siberia to deflect it. While on camera. Not wearing a shirt.
More seriously, it doesn't seem like such a bad idea to practice deflecting an asteroid that probably isn't going to hit us, so that if one comes along that definitely *will* hit us if nothing is done, the deflection mission will have a greater chance of success through data gathered the first time around.
I think malazan is a pretty cool guy. eh kills well-loved characters and doesn't afraid of anything.
#13
Posted 07 January 2010 - 01:28 AM
lobo the wolfman, on 31 December 2009 - 09:26 AM, said:
If any one could save us all, it would be the Russians, because with Vodka anything is possible.
QFT.
Maccy could bat it out of the way with his hands if this didn't work?
Trouble arrives when the opponents to such a system institute its extreme opposite, where individualism becomes godlike and sacrosanct, and no greater service to any other ideal (including community) is possible. In such a system rapacious greed thrives behind the guise of freedom, and the worst aspects of human nature come to the fore....
#14
Posted 07 January 2010 - 01:42 AM
lobo the wolfman, on 31 December 2009 - 09:26 AM, said:
If any one could save us all, it would be the Russians, because with Vodka anything is possible.
Would love to myth busters try this one
TTFN
Imagine a world without such souls.
Yes, it should have been harder to do.
Yes, it should have been harder to do.
#15
Posted 07 January 2010 - 01:46 AM
The quality of the data decreases as the length of the experiment increases, sadly.
Trouble arrives when the opponents to such a system institute its extreme opposite, where individualism becomes godlike and sacrosanct, and no greater service to any other ideal (including community) is possible. In such a system rapacious greed thrives behind the guise of freedom, and the worst aspects of human nature come to the fore....
#16
Posted 07 January 2010 - 03:01 PM
Seems like a good idea to me. It's nice to see a government agency taking some initiative for once instead of waiting until after the disaster has occurred.
#17
Posted 07 January 2010 - 08:21 PM
Good to know they are training for the real thing.
_ In the dark I play the night, like a tune vividly fright_
So light it blows, at lark it goes _
invisible indifferent sight_
So light it blows, at lark it goes _
invisible indifferent sight_
#18
Posted 08 January 2010 - 12:13 AM
30 million Russians living below the poverty line, and God knows how many billions spent on this. Genius.
#19
Posted 08 January 2010 - 12:15 AM
Didn't you learn in school how Russian politicians are fuelled directly by suffering?
They could have saved a lot of money by just firing Putin at it, though.
They could have saved a lot of money by just firing Putin at it, though.
Hello, soldiers, look at your mage, now back to me, now back at your mage, now back to me. Sadly, he isn’t me, but if he stopped being an unascended mortal and switched to Sole Spice, he could smell like he’s me. Look down, back up, where are you? You’re in a warren with the High Mage your cadre mage could smell like. What’s in your hand, back at me. I have it, it’s an acorn with two gates to that realm you love. Look again, the acorn is now otataral. Anything is possible when your mage smells like Sole Spice and not a Bole brother. I’m on a quorl.