24-07-2002 23:52									#91
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what are those ejecta that you speak of?

	24-07-2002 23:52									#92
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okay okay, lets get our transports ready for mars

	24-07-2002 23:59									#93
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layman's term for ejecta: Crap thrown up at impact.

Why do you have a burnin' aussie flag? Whio hates australia?

	25-07-2002 00:03									#94
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How would something be thrown up if it was an ocean impact.

on the flag : It's a counter-troll.

	25-07-2002 00:20									#95
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Because the ocean isn't that deep. It would be slapped out of the way and then the ocean floor would be flung into the skies to come raining down on the rest of the planet. We're talking bolders the size of buildings almost reaching escape velocity and then coming back down.

	25-07-2002 00:37									#96
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Thats a cheerful thought

	25-07-2002 00:38									#97
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Lets all hope it dosent hit us so I can enjoy the next 50 years afterward

	25-07-2002 03:13									#98
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The only possile solution would be to build dozens of nukes and send them directly at the thing to fragment it and destroy the larger chunks. With luck, we'll only get hit by the remains of a smaller chunk, rendering the worldwide extinction to a mere insanely MAD usage of nuclear weapons.

	25-07-2002 03:30									#99
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With the time scales we are talking you could deflect the asteroid by simply smashing a ten tonne satellite into it at 20 km/s. The impulse alone would give it enough to knock it off a collision course.

Of course you would need to know the exact trajectory, which may be a bit tricky given that its an n-body system.

	25-07-2002 03:39									#100
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I am going to enjoy my entire life and will live until 90 (well at least I hope). If an asteroid does come on collision, the US would probably have already built some nuclear device that could knock it way off. As Dolphin said even a satillite could do it. Imagine what a nuke would do?

	25-07-2002 03:42									#101
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quote: Originally posted by Sagacious Dolphin With the time scales we are talking you could deflect the asteroid by simply smashing a ten tonne satellite into it at 20 km/s. The impulse alone would give it enough to knock it off a collision course. Of course you would need to know the exact trajectory, which may be a bit tricky given that its an n-body system.

But, but does that mean that we won't get to send off Bruce Willis into space?

	25-07-2002 03:49									#102
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These things always hit the USA in the movies , so I am safe downunder

	25-07-2002 03:55									#103
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quote: Originally posted by Hydey These things always hit the USA in the movies , so I am safe downunder

Don't feel too safe with your southern location. Devastation from space has hit down under at least once in Japanese anime.

(Mobile Suit Gundam was not very nice to Sydney, Australia.)

	25-07-2002 03:59									#104
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So anyway, how big is the rock in question?

	25-07-2002 04:02									#105
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Dr Strangelove, would mineshafts be of help in case of an asteroid collision?

	25-07-2002 04:07									#106
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quote: Originally posted by Ecthelion Dr Strangelove, would mineshafts be of help in case of an asteroid collision?

Yes....with the emphasis on "mine" and not "yours".

	25-07-2002 04:09									#107
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But that's just fantastic, Strangelove!

	25-07-2002 04:17									#108
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To paraphrase any number of ex-champion boxers "it were na hard, i dinna see it coming".

The one that nails us will be undiscovered until its too late. All we can do is to prepare our capabilities to deal with such asteroids and keep a sharp eye.

Problem is that we in America, and perhaps all of us being human, are not very diligent. The 9/11 episode shows that. Only massive ineptness allowed multiple commercial flights to be hijacked at the same time.

In the end the only way to ensure the survival of the human species is to find and colonialize other planets. Otherwise its just a matter of time. Extinction.

	25-07-2002 04:40									#109
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Surely in the next million years we can develop reproducing nanobots that we can send to all asteroids to break down any solid structures that can be easily destroyed by a modest nuclear warhead?

Of course, it's the next 50 years that concerns me

I've said it before and i'll say it again......this is all your fault, Mobius!

	25-07-2002 05:20									#110
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I agree with Jimmy. The one that nails will be too close to stop. And it wont be noticed by any telescopes while its rushing around pluto. No.....it will be noticed by people looking into the sky. Imagine how terrifying that would be?

Reminds me of a dream I had recently. The moon got closer and closer to earth until it finally filled 1/3 of our sky. And hit us.

	25-07-2002 06:05									#111
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I disagree with jimmy, we already have something. And there called nuclear bombs. I say launch thirty of them and the asteroid will be vaporized.

	25-07-2002 06:32									#112
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I just saw on the news that there could be as much as a 10% chance that this asteroid could hit Earth!!!

This is definitely the wake up call we need to kickstart the colonisation of Mars, to pull up our space technology to enable us to avoid the possibility of being hit and even have a 'back up planet' if for some reason we cannot avoid a collision...

Here's a few more articles...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/wales/2148734.stm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/sci/tech/2148924.stm Wasn't someone on this very thread pouring scorn on the very means of avoidance posited near the bottom of this link?

This one's good - it might not be the asteroid that kills us...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/2128488.stm

	25-07-2002 06:48									#113
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NUKES I TELL YOU WILL DO THE JOB. A big comes launch a thousand... ought to do the trick.

	25-07-2002 06:54									#114
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quote: sorry in advance if I hurt your feeling , but that's ... *cough*.

Sorry if I hurt your feelings but your cough is... *cough*.

	25-07-2002 07:00									#115
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Are we prepared to nuke an asteroid right now anyway?

	25-07-2002 07:33									#116
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You bet we are.

	25-07-2002 07:40									#117
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quote: Originally posted by Fez You bet we are.

The problem with nukes: Should we trust the same people who crash satelites all the time to launch NUCLEAR WEAPONS over our heads? Especially when they aren't even certain if it's necesary?

Furthermore, The solid rock of an asteroid would, most likely, reflect the energy of an atomic incident, rather be destroyed by it.

	25-07-2002 07:42									#118
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quote: Originally posted by Urban Ranger F, Resonance?

Right.

Do an energy calculation. Picture before: vaguely spherical rock 700 miles in diameter. Picture afterward: two hemispheres of rock, on escape trajectories from each other. What did you say the energy output of an H-bomb is?

	25-07-2002 07:51									#119
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Am I correct in coming to the conclusion that we haven't the foggiest idea how big this thing is? Maybe it's just way too small to bother about.

	25-07-2002 07:54									#120
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quote: I am going to enjoy my entire life and will live until 90 (well at least I hope). If an asteroid does come on collision, the US would probably have already built some nuclear device that could knock it way off. As Dolphin said even a satillite could do it. Imagine what a nuke would do?

That's only if we pay attention to the maxim that a stitch in time saves nine. Wait until a month before impact and I don't know if we'd be able to do much to save ourselves...