Should the world invest in protection against asteroids?

dlofnep

And if so how much? A recent paper released has confirmed that dinosaurs were stamped out by a 7.5 mile wide asteroid, releasing as much energy as 1 billion Hiroshima bombs. Does anyone ever give thought to the idea of an asteroid hitting earth? I haven't in a long while (on account of lack of movies from hollywood about asteroids pelting the shíte out of us).

bluto63

Asteroids fall to earth all year round. They don't do any harm. They've never even killed a person. They did kill a dog at the start of the last century though.







Thank you QI

dlofnep

bluto63 wrote: »

Asteroids fall to earth all year round. They don't do any harm. They've never even killed a person. They did kill a dog at the start of the last century though.

That's cos they are baby asteroids. What happens when mommy or daddy asteroid comes to see how it's children are doing, only to find out that our atmosphere has literally burnt them from existence? They won't be happy - let me assure you.

MaybeLogic

Protection against asteroids.

These boys should do the trick.

galwayrush

Yes, i used to love the game back in the day.

rossie1977

not sure what sort of weapon we would need to build to stop an 8 mile wide asteriod travelling at 50,000 mph

Saibh

bluto63 wrote: »

Asteroids fall to earth all year round. They don't do any harm. They've never even killed a person. They did kill a dog at the start of the last century though.







Thank you QI

What if we get hit by something this size though

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zvCUmeoHpw

bazza1

We could use a giant tube of Preparation H......

Oh sorry....wrong roids:D:D

minidazzler

Seriously, the likelihood of us our even our great grand children dying because of a big ass asteroid is very unlikely.....then again....CHARGE THE LASERS!!!!!!

Dan I Am

'The dinosaurs became extinct because they didn't have a space program. And if we become extinct because we don't have a space program, it'll serve us right!' Arthur C Clarke.

Gillington

Saibh wrote: »

What if we get hit by something this size though

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zvCUmeoHpw

It sounds like the woman singing got hit by that asteroid!

WIZE

Im sure no matter what weapons that are invented in to blow up Asteroids will be used to threaten other Countries rather then Asteroids

rossie1977

minidazzler wrote: »

Seriously, the likelihood of us our even our great grand children dying because of a big ass asteroid is very unlikely.....then again....CHARGE THE LASERS!!!!!!

its unlikely, we are lucky that jupiter acts as a giant vacuum cleaner in our solar system, now had Shoemaker-Levy 9 hit the earth back in 1994 not even bacteria would have survived

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zNuT4dbdjU

Mint Sauce

ah now OP, do you not watch the movies, we're fine, dublin, sorry, ireland never gets affected, its only ever parts of the US and france that gets hit

Diabhal Beag

One day it will happen and we will be well and truly ****ed

WIZE

I always wanted to go with a bang . I guess you will all be joining me

mikom

dlofnep wrote: »

Should the world invest in protection against asteroids?

A huge tube of Preparation H aimed skyward.
Well it works on hemorrhoids.

Joey the lips

I read this as hemeroids. Mind you most of what comes out of me looks like an asteroid and as for my farts they would wipe out the dino's again

WIZE

mikom wrote: »

A huge tube of Preparation H aimed skyward.
Well it works on hemorrhoids.

Your not on the ball today . post 8 got there before you

fuelinjection

First, as far as I know, nobody on earth is looking for asteroids coming at us. So it is only when they get quite close and become bright that we get a warning.

Second, even if you could hit one in space with a large enough payload to divert them, imagine if we screwed up and made a harmless asteroid go on a collision course with earth - now that would be embarrassing.

While global sterilisation and the end of our society would be a bummer, you have to look at the positives as well - no more X-factor, Big Brother, Dancing on ice, celebs in jungles and Jedward.

In fact, maybe some alien races are aiming asteroids at us as we type here. I wouldn't blame them you know.

mikom

Most Haunted wrote: »

Your not on the ball today . post 8 got there before you

Damn.
Writing something else at the moment.......... that's my excuse.

rossie1977

rossie1977 wrote: »

not sure what sort of weapon we would need to build to stop an 8 mile wide asteriod travelling at 50,000 mph

We'd just need to build another big asteroid and send it towards it.

Saibh

Saibh wrote: »

What if we get hit by something this size though

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zvCUmeoHpw

fake

o1s1n

As long as Bruce Willis is alive we should be fine.

Although hopefully in reality he leaves Ben Affleck behind to die.

Archeron

We are on a small lump of rock and iron flying around in an ever expanding universe at 67,000 mph, and the only thing keeping us on course for life is a immense ball of unstable gases burning at five and a half thousand degrees wonderfully positioned 93 million miles away.
Unless we colonize another planet to escape to, then there is virtually nothing we could do to prevent annihilation.

Super Volcanoes though, maybe we should consider spending money looking into how to stop those. Expanding foam maybe.

bonzodog2

mikom wrote: »

A huge tube of Preparation H aimed skyward.
Well it works on hemorrhoids.

Lets just hope we don't get attacked by giant hemorrhoids then
:eek:

wildefalcon

Dan I Am wrote: »

'The dinosaurs became extinct because they didn't have a space program. And if we become extinct because we don't have a space program, it'll serve us right!' Arthur C Clarke.

+1

Saibh

Deleted User wrote: »

fake

And your point is?

Super-Rush

Deleted User wrote: »

fake

I filmed that this morning :rolleyes:

Biggins

Meh!!!

Sticks and stones may break my bones but an asteroid will knock the living schite out of me!!! :eek:

ScumLord

minidazzler wrote: »

Seriously, the likelihood of us our even our great grand children dying because of a big ass asteroid is very unlikely.....then again....CHARGE THE LASERS!!!!!!

Is it unlikely or more likely since it's been so long since the last one. I wonder would the universe have settled more since then, that is asteroids and comets settled into uninterrupted orbits with most the ones that could have collided having collided by now.

AlmightyCushion

Archeron wrote: »

is a immense ball of unstable gases burning at five and a half thousand degrees

Just to let you know that's only the surface temperature of the sun, the temperature of the core is over 15 million degrees celsius. So almost as hot as Rachael Bilson.

ChocolateSauce

In 1908 a 5-30 Megatonne explosion occurred in Russia, almost certainly due to an asteroid impact. It was in the middle of nowhere, but it could have killed millions if it had hit a major city.

It is a risk.

ejmaztec

Joey the lips wrote: »

I read this as hemeroids. Mind you most of what comes out of me looks like an asteroid and as for my farts they would wipe out the dino's again

I don't think that there are any, not after they got wiped out the first time.:P

ScumLord

ejmaztec wrote: »

I don't think that there are any, not after they got wiped out the first time.:P

The crocs defied the roids, maybe they'll come back for them?

landsleaving

It'll burn up in the atmosphere and whatever's left will be no bigger thana Chihuahua's head.

Or Aerosmith will save us.

EIther way, Que Sera Sera/I don't wanna miss a thing.

Duggy747

Bruce Willis and his rag-tag of merry men will take care of it................cue awesome explosions and Paris being wiped out :pac:

Christopher Reeves would've sufficed but he's chilling out in his Fortress Of Solitude (he always will be the Superman :P )

Realistically though, it'll take a major assteroid disaster before it's ever seriously considered.

I just want be around for when they get a bloke / blokette on Mars........and when they set up that casino / strip-club on the moon!

Mr. Presentable

Protection from hemorrhoids would benefit more people

bonerm

dlofnep wrote: »

Should the world invest in protection against asteroids?

Nope, couldn't care less. We deserve to be extinct as a species.

But I was interested to learn .....

meteoroid : particle of debris in the Solar System
meteor : if the meteor enters the Earths athmosphere
meteorite : If a meteor reaches the ground and survives impact.

Protection against Asteroids.
Enter the Moon!

ScumLord

bonerm wrote: »

Nope, couldn't care less. We deserve to be extinct as a species.

The human race is the greatest animal that has ever existed, I always find it astonishing that people don't recognise that more. Most of what people label as human kinds bad quality's are just basic animal behaviour. It's not unusual that we kill, rape or commit genocide. What is unusual is that we have trials, take care of our sick and think of the welfare of our prey.

fuelinjection

ScumLord wrote: »

The human race is the greatest animal that has ever existed, I always find it astonishing that people don't recognise that more. Most of what people label as human kinds bad quality's are just basic animal behaviour. It's not unusual that we kill, rape or commit genocide. What is unusual is that we have trials, take care of our sick and think of the welfare of our prey.

Thats true.
Dinosaurs ruled the earth a heck of a lot longer than we have been here - and ironically they were wiped out by a meteorite that allowed us to develop. Also our large brains and ability to make and use tools as well as a moral sense of right and wrong would make us pretty much unique.

artanevilla

If one big enough hits, chances are we won't know about it. Chances are it will happen eventually, but sure **** it.

thetonynator

theres actually fúck all that can be done to protect against it anyway . . .so its kind of a stupid poll. They could give an advance warning yeah, but all that would do is cause mass suicides . . .and then it would prob miss!!!!

dlofnep

thetonynator wrote: »

theres actually fúck all that can be done to protect against it anyway . . .

Oh, so you're an expert on asteroid defense - are you? How do you know there is nothing that can be done about it?

And if nothing can be done - then surely, wouldn't it be worthwhile to start figuring out HOW to protect us?

And yes - you are "that guy".

Mike 1972

Archeron wrote: »

Super Volcanoes though, maybe we should consider spending money looking into how to stop those. Expanding foam maybe.

TBH while both of these scenarios might be cause for concern (although not as much as the emergence of new pandemics) I think what we really need to be focusing on is the probability of the human race making a mass collective bid for a Darwin award.

Earthhorse

Absolutely we should.

The thing about asteroids is, they can approach the earth from any angle. We are as vulnerable on one side as we are the other. So the first thing that needs to be done is the identification of the areas of space our orbit passes through in which there is most activity. The area of our sky, if you will, where an asteroid is most likely going to appear; call it "The Black Rectangle".

Then, we need some way of monitoring and protecting that space. We could use ground missiles. Trouble is, missiles are, by their nature, hit and miss. Believe me when I say you don't want to miss with something like this. Something more dynamic is clearly needed, something that, if it misses, can have another go engage in some pursuit.

A craft of some kind would be ideal but imagine what it would be like to live under "The Black Rectangle", watching that craft patrolling the skies every day. Unnerving, to say the least. The craft would ideally be transparent in nature, leaving only a frame visible to alert other objects. We should probably have three in total. The Black Rectangle is likely to be quite big. So if a craft flies out one side of it it should reappear on the other.

And you should be allowed to enter more than three initials, what the fuck is with that?

ScumLord

thetonynator wrote: »

theres actually fúck all that can be done to protect against it anyway . . .so its kind of a stupid poll. They could give an advance warning yeah, but all that would do is cause mass suicides . . .and then it would prob miss!!!!

As long as there's **** all of a chance we'll be able to survive you have to put money on the human race surviving, even if we where told it was impossible I'd put money on us surviving. Some of us at least.

TheKells

Aren't they already looking into things to protect us, like a giant solar sail. By all accounts missiles would have little impact.
Its the detection side of things that needs most work. But its really underfunded because lets face it, most people don't care about something that might not happen for another few thousand years even if there's a chance it might happen next year.

So that's a yes then.

DigiGal

minidazzler wrote: »

Seriously, the likelihood of us our even our great grand children dying because of a big ass asteroid is very unlikely.....then again....CHARGE THE LASERS!!!!!!

there is one on course for 2032...

dlofnep

DigiGal wrote: »

there is one on course for 2032...

2036, but it's Torino rating is very low.

Still - there are thousands of asteroids out there that we haven't tracked yet.