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Request for Cosmic Collision Insurance
HobbySpacer writes "According to this article a group of distinguished citizens has sent an open letter to Congress, the President, and other world leaders to request that they begin a serious program to protect the planet from the possible impact of a comet or asteroid. The petitioners include Freeman Dyson, Apollo 17 astronaut Harrison Schmitt, Neil Tyson (Director of the Hayden Planetarium) and others. They say that for "the first time in human history, we have the potential to protect ourselves from a catastrophe of truly cosmic proportions." A three phase program is urged that includes detection, exploration, and contingency planning. See the full letter at www.CongressNEOaction.org"
For a one-time premium of only US$1,000, I will grant a US$1.5Million policy to anyone who wants one -- NOBODY TURNED DOWN!!
The policy will pay out, in full, to anyone whose species becomes extinct as a result of catastrophic collision with any celestial body.
Some of my competitors will only cover comets, excluding asteroids. Others may cover alien invasions, but exclude comets. I cover any celestial catastrophic event that causes the extinction of your species, and I pay cash!
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I think they are implying that the US plan of having a group of oil rig drillers ready to go, won't save us ...
Unique signatures are rare.
Humans seem to be unable to comprehend the need for action in this kind of low probability/extremely devasting situation. Nobody living has seen anything like this kind of catastrophe, so the public won't relate to it even if they hear about it. Our leaders don't grasp that a very low probability just means that given a long enough timeframe, the event will still likely occur.
If you want to make the humanity safe, the best way is the colonisation of another planet. This way, the destruction of one planet will not destroy humanity. In the long run, this is the only way. Sooner or later, an asteroid gonna fail on our heads. Colonisation protects humanity against most major threat.
Of course, colonisation will not protect individual who will always face the same probability of asteroid, nuclear weapons, ect no matter how many planets we can colonise.
Well, maybe i'm a cynic, but...
Why can I see a project like this getting huge funding and support from the government (we're protecting the country, no, the PLANET from weapons of mass destruction!), while NASA has to fight to justify itself? Why will weapons research and detection get more funding, attention and support than space exploration?
ID-10-T is a way of life
Really, am I the only one to think that even if our whole solar system would be devastated by a gigantic cosmic body (however unlikely that is) it would hardly qualify for cosmic proportions?
Maybe if a galaxy cluster was destroyed it'd be of cosmic proportions, but a tiny planet?
Nope, heh, talk about inflated self-importance. :-)
for "the first time in human history, we have the potential to protect ourselves from a catastrophe of truly cosmic proportions." A three phase program is urged that includes detection, exploration, and contingency planning.
This plan sounds suspiciously like an excuse to put lasers in space.... I can see it now,
"My fellow citizens, in the name of securing ourselves from evil celestial bodies hurtling towards the earth and thousands of miles per hour, we are beginning an expansive program to protect each and every citizen on this great planet. These lasers will be used for peaceful purposes... we wouldn't even think of aiming them at certain nations that have restarted nuclear programs or anything like that... noooooo."