Earth almost got nailed, yet again.

Silent Sniper · Post by **Silent Sniper** » Thu Mar 21, 2002 12:54 pm

Not only was this one only 20% further away from us than the moon, but we didn't even detect it until 4 days after it passed us.

DV8 · Post by **DV8** » Thu Mar 21, 2002 12:58 pm

I read this on DSF a while ago, and I was wondering; how is it possible that the earth, floating in a big sea of nothingness...has a fucking blind spot??

Silent Sniper · Post by **Silent Sniper** » Thu Mar 21, 2002 1:23 pm

Behind the moon, maybe?

Cash · Post by **Cash** » Thu Mar 21, 2002 1:46 pm

Deev:: Pulling an Evan on us?

...but since it came from the direction of the sun, scientists did not observe it until four days later.

DV8 · Post by **DV8** » Thu Mar 21, 2002 1:48 pm

Oi!

Ehm...so we can't look into the glare?

Cash · Post by **Cash** » Thu Mar 21, 2002 1:51 pm

Nope.

On a side note, we can't even see all the stars out there (technological limitations being excepted). The Milky Way Galaxy blocks a portion of our view.

TheScamp · Post by **TheScamp** » Thu Mar 21, 2002 3:18 pm

Well, it's not like the thing was the size of Rhode Island or anything like that. It was 70 meters long, which is only about twice the size of the space shuttle.

DV8 · Post by **DV8** » Thu Mar 21, 2002 4:28 pm

...but enough to dwarf Tunguska.

TheScamp · Post by **TheScamp** » Thu Mar 21, 2002 4:55 pm

Oh, I'm not trying to minimize the damage potential at all. Just pointing out why it could be incredibly hard to detect, especially when it had the friggin sun as a backdrop.

spudman · Post by **spudman** » Thu Mar 21, 2002 5:53 pm

So how much do we actually search the solar system for potential collisions? Would placing satellites around the solar system actually help us any?

3278 · Post by **3278** » Thu Mar 21, 2002 6:27 pm

spudman wrote: So how much do we actually search the solar system for potential collisions?

Very little. As I recall, soon after the first major early-detected collision, there was a great deal of discussion about it, but it is such a futile effort, and would have such great expense, for next-to-no reward, that it was largely abandoned, except for a few groups here and there. After all, what good does it do us to know?

spudman wrote: Would placing satellites around the solar system actually help us any?

You're basically talking about putting basketballs with buttonhole cameras all over the United States and asking them to find the period at the end of a sentence wherever one appears. At night. In the rain. So, no.

Harley667 · Post by **Harley667** » Thu Mar 21, 2002 6:36 pm

As far as I can remember with our current technology we can only view around 5% of 'local' space. Thats a 95% chance we're not going to spot something coming until its too late to do anything about it anyway. Yay!

spudman · Post by **spudman** » Thu Mar 21, 2002 7:41 pm

3278 wrote: You're basically talking about putting basketballs with buttonhole cameras all over the United States and asking them to find the period at the end of a sentence wherever one appears. At night. In the rain. So, no.

Actually, I would use much larger satellites, not the typical ones, because obviously you'd need bigger sensors and cameras. I just don't know how much it would help, even if we did put a lot of resources into improving the capability.

3278 · Post by **3278** » Thu Mar 21, 2002 9:07 pm

spudman wrote:
3278 wrote: You're basically talking about putting basketballs with buttonhole cameras all over the United States and asking them to find the period at the end of a sentence wherever one appears. At night. In the rain. So, no.
Actually, I would use much larger satellites, not the typical ones, because obviously you'd need bigger sensors and cameras. I just don't know how much it would help, even if we did put a lot of resources into improving the capability.

An excellent point. The problem with these stations - because they'd be stations, after all, and not satellites - is that they've really no effective, affordable means of detecting blackbodies within the solar system. Not to mention the fact that they have to do more than detect them; they have to detect them, track them, and then compute their trajectories against Earth's. The odds you could build these stations, get them where they need to be, get them to do what they need to do, and never, ever break, and still be able to afford them are about nil.

Not to mention, of course, the simple fact that they'd do no good. Despite what Armageddon told me, knowing that we're about to get hit by Texas - or even Rhode Island - doesn't help at all. What the hell are we going to do?

Nexusvoid · Post by **Nexusvoid** » Thu Mar 21, 2002 9:24 pm

3278 wrote: What the hell are we going to do?

My guess would be loot, rape, pillage, settle scores, and, in a few cases, pray.

Jackal · Post by **Jackal** » Thu Mar 21, 2002 9:50 pm

That and they can only roughly detect where it's going to hit anyway. What are they going to do. Evacuate half a hemisphere just to be safe? I won’t say that I could careless if we know we’re about to get hit or not but to echo 32…what are we going to do. Launch nukes at it? That’s like trying to shoot a super-sonic jet with a BB gun.

TheScamp · Post by **TheScamp** » Thu Mar 21, 2002 10:26 pm

Found this entertaining tidbit over on DSF, where this subject is being discussed as well. For some background: Some stupid people were talking about how violent the human race is, and how it wouldn't be a real big loss if we all got annihilated, etc. Then Lucifer comes out with this:

And, for once, I agree with Snow Fox and Bitten. You're all ninnies. It's out right--no, our responsibility!--to pick up on any incoming space rocks and make them our intergalactic b****. Come on, I can't be the only one who's just been dying for a chance to launch a million megatons of piping hot death at something, and this is a target even the lousy peaceniks can agree on!

Don't think of the future. Don't think of the children. Think of the totally kick-A explosions when we bombard some unsuspecting asteroid with enough nuclear juice to atomize it. All I ask is that we have a satellite or two video tape it for posterity.

Hida Tsuzua · Post by **Hida Tsuzua** » Fri Mar 22, 2002 12:49 am

I'll buy that tape!

Use those nukes!

Hmm can an astronaut ride one like in Dr. Strangelove?