24-07-2002 11:13									#61
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Yes but it dosen't need to kill off all life on this planet -- humanity will do just fine, thanks!

	24-07-2002 11:15									#62
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About that asteroid/comet that hit Tunguska in 1909... if it had hit earth 3 hours later, it would have hitted Helsinki. Well, aren't we finns lucky bastards...

Here is a site, where you can hurl different kind of objects towards different planets. I don't know if this is fun, but go check it if you like craters ect.

And here ofcourse is the site of all hubble fans.

	24-07-2002 11:15									#63
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The entire premise of Armageddon was ridiculous. How deep were they supposed to have dug that hole to plant the bomb in? Didn't they say the asteroid was 700 miles across? Do they really think anything we do could affect the trajectory (never mind the actual structure) of a planetoid which would have to mass in at around a quintillion tons?

	24-07-2002 11:26									#64
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I'm feeling queasy. I hope they get those estimations in shape sooner than later, because I prefer to have a lot of lead time if we have to nudge that damned asteroid out of Earth's path.

Gatekeeper

	24-07-2002 11:27									#65
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F,

Resonance?

	24-07-2002 11:32									#66
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Typical british journalism. And some of ... :roll:

Probably there are some pantywaist socialists on Earth who would prefer complete destruction of the asteroid over a plan for slight course corrections and use of Earth's gravity well to fling it far away from the Sun. (On the grounds that there's a small chance something could go wrong.) Brits, I've little doubt.

	24-07-2002 11:36									#67
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Oh, and before I forget...*ahem*

We really, really, have to get off this rock.

	24-07-2002 11:40									#68
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I am happy to say that we can all start planning our funerals as of tommorow.

------------------
~Dominik - Lord of the Putumayo~

	24-07-2002 12:02									#69
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quote: Originally posted by The Mad Monk Assuming eough mass to get through the atmosphere, it's not the mass, it's the velocity (remember which part of the energy equation is cubed). According to the article, the etimated impact velocity (28 km/s) is more than enough to wipe out a continent. I agree about having time to deal with this, but forget about "blowing it up". What we want to do is push it into a friendlier orbit -- think billiards.

I agree, by and large. The friction on the pieces entering the atmosphere though is proportional to the velocity - hence if the body is shattered they'll just vaporize as they come in if the pieces are small enough.

Intercepting further out is of course a safer option but also much more technically challenging - especially given the variables in the detonation.

	24-07-2002 12:05									#70
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quote: Originally posted by aaglo About that asteroid/comet that hit Tunguska in 1909... if it had hit earth 3 hours later, it would have hitted Helsinki. Well, aren't we finns lucky bastards...

Whereas we Apolytoners are unlucky bastards...

	24-07-2002 12:07									#71
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quote: Originally posted by ravagon Whereas we Apolytoners are unlucky bastards...

That was to be expected

	24-07-2002 15:52									#72
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Tunguska was 1908 not 1909

Mobius, as for that 100% chance for usto be hit some day... we actua´lly are hit every day

	24-07-2002 15:55									#73
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17 years away? You'd have to be off yer rocker to be worried about this.

	24-07-2002 16:09									#74
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I think the important question isn't "It would wipe out a continent?" but "Which continent?"

	24-07-2002 16:13									#75
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America. It is the divine instrument to save the peoples of the planet Earth.

Only after America's goen there can be world peace

	24-07-2002 17:33									#76
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damn, I can't wish it to be neither Europe or the ME.

	24-07-2002 21:18									#77
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A 1km asteroid killed off the dinosaurs. A 2km asteroid would wipe out 99%+ of all life on Earth.

Here's the fun stuff that would happen with such a major impact. First, you'd get a crater about the size of Texas. Next, you'd have ejecta raining down all across the globe. Shockwaves from the impact would cause earthquakes everywhere, not merely at faults.

Assuming you somehow survived that, here comes the fun part. Anything which can burn, will burn, because of all of the secondary impacts. Ever seen an entire planet on fire? The dust put up by the impacts, in addition to all of the smoke from all of the plants burning would block out most sunlight, causing a global ice age. The increased albedio from an ice covered world would significantly delay any global warming.

Any humans that somehow survived would likely starve to death. If they were luky, they might find stores of food that survived crushing and burning. Agricutlure and hunting would be off the agenda.

Needless to say, this isn't something we want to have happen.

	24-07-2002 21:33									#78
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Yes. but what if it hits the Pacific ocean? ( most chances that if it will hit earth , it will hit an ocean, right? )

we can expect a huge tsunami, I mean HUGE. but no fire etc.

right?

	24-07-2002 21:53									#79
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You'd still get the ejecta, which is what starts the fires. The dinosaur killer didn't hit dry land. It hit off the coast of the Yucatan penninsula. (It is speculated that the dino-killer actually split on it's way into Earth. There's a smaller secondary impact near New Zealand that is believe to be about the same age.)

	24-07-2002 22:04									#80
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Entire Planet on fire?

No che, I haven't seen that in a LONG time.

	24-07-2002 22:06									#81
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You do realize that was a rhetorical question.

	24-07-2002 22:08									#82
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I'm not an evil space alein.

I swear.

	24-07-2002 22:18									#83
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Ohhhhh! I've seen an entire planet on fire!

	24-07-2002 22:58									#84
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Chegitz:

The asteroid which wiped out the dinosaurs was a lot bigger than 1 kilometer. The last I heard, scientists were thinking between 4 and 6 miles wide. Not sure if they know what it was composed of, though, which would affect how much damage it did to Earth. Furthermore, there's also some evidence emerging now that the planet's biosphere recovered much more quickly from the devastation than previously thought.

Gatekeeper

	24-07-2002 23:12									#85
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Mounting some sort of booster on the asteroids surface (maybe even fueled with chemicals from the asteroids surface) and nudging it into the sun or into a safe orbit would be more efficient solution than blowng it up.

Or what about some sort of solar sail? Can a physicist tell me what size of sail would be needed to get a decent amount of course change?

	24-07-2002 23:27									#86
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many underground shelters will be made. luckly we have time to prepare. and also luckly im a rich american that can afford such things

	24-07-2002 23:32									#87
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quote: Mounting some sort of booster on the asteroids surface (maybe even fueled with chemicals from the asteroids surface) and nudging it into the sun or into a safe orbit would be more efficient solution than blowng it up.

sorry in advance if I hurt your feeling , but that's ... *cough*.

	24-07-2002 23:34									#88
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It would have to be a pusher plate type thruster, if anything.

	24-07-2002 23:37									#89
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Gatekeeper, I can't argue too strenuously, since I'm basing my argument on what I've seen on the Discovery and Science Channels. According to them It would only take a kilometer sized asteroid to do all the damage I described above. An asteroid the twice the size of a football field (approximately 200 meters) would probably render an entire continent uninhabitable.

	24-07-2002 23:39									#90
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quote: Originally posted by MarBaS many underground shelters will be made. luckly we have time to prepare. and also luckly im a rich american that can afford such things

You missed the part about the earthquakes and secondary impacts from ejecta. No place on or in Earth is safe. Not even Near Earth orbit.