Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Defending Earth From Asteroids With MADMEN

Posted by simoniker on from the denial-of-armageddon dept.

jolomo writes "A partner of Atlanta-based NASA Institute of Advanced Concepts is working on a concept they call MADMEN (Modular Asteroid Deflection Mission Ejector Nodes), which would launch a distributed attack against large Earth-bound objects. Thousands of MADMEN could be built by many nations and when launched, each would land on the object, drill into its surface and remove enough material to change its course."

16 of 499 comments (clear)

  1. Olde News.. by grub · · Score: -1, Offtopic


    It's been done.

    --
    Trolling is a art,
    1. Re:Olde News.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

      YE OLDE OUTHOUSES!

    2. Re:Olde News.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

      Old News. What is it all about... is it good, or is it whack?

  2. The US wouldn't do that with madmen... by PornMaster · · Score: 1, Offtopic

    We'd install them as dictators in the middle east!

    --
    500GB of disk, 5TB of transfer, $5.95/mo
  3. In Soviet Russia by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    In Soviet Russia, madmen ASTEROID YOU!!!

  4. Been there... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    ...Thousands of MADMEN could be built by many nations...

    It's already been done.

  5. Been there, done that... by Andreas(R) · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    You can help. NOW!

  6. Oh SHIT I just crapped in my pants by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    ...what a day to wear tan khakis..oh my God dribbling down my leg and the lady in the next cube just asked about "that smell"...should have not eaten Habanero Tacos for lunch

  7. Revelation 8,9 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic
    When he opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and to them were given seven trumpets. Another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all the saints, on the golden altar before the throne. The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of the saints, went up before God from the angel's hand. Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and hurled it on the earth; and there came peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning and an earthquake.

    Then the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared to sound them. The first angel sounded his trumpet, and there came hail and fire mixed with blood, and it was hurled down upon the earth. A third of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up.

    The second angel sounded his trumpet, and something like a huge mountain, all ablaze, was thrown into the sea. A third of the sea turned into blood, a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.

    The third angel sounded his trumpet, and a great star, blazing like a torch, fell from the sky on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water--the name of the star is Wormwood [Bitterness]. A third of the waters turned bitter, and many people died from the waters that had become bitter.

    The fourth angel sounded his trumpet, and a third of the sun was struck, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of them turned dark. A third of the day was without light, and also a third of the night.

    As I watched, I heard an eagle that was flying in midair call out in a loud voice: "Woe! Woe! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth, because of the trumpet blasts about to be sounded by the other three angels!"

    ...

    The rest of mankind that were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood--idols that cannot see or hear or walk.

    Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts.

  8. Humanity's survival hangs in the balance? by gnalle · · Score: 1, Offtopic

    What scares you guys the most. Meteors or nukes in space? The whole story reminds me a little too much of Iraqs missing weapons of mass destruction.

  9. Stupid In The News: Illiterate Amerika +1, True by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    Courtesy of Amerikans Support TV Executions

    Poll: Many Americans Support TV Executions

    Monday February 23, 2004 8:46 PM

    NEW YORK (AP) - Two-thirds of Americans polled last month said they support the idea of televising executions and 21 percent said they'd pay to watch Osama bin Laden put to death.

    Eleven percent said they would pay to see Saddam Hussein executed.

    The opinions on executions came in a poll taken by Harris Interactive for the Trio cable channel.

    Even though the poll found support for the idea, 54 percent said they wouldn't watch an execution on television.

    Harris Interactive interviewed 1,017 Americans aged 18 or older at random Jan. 24-26. The margin of error for the sample is plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.

    Not suprising, given that over 50% of adults in the
    U.S. read at or below the Grade 5 level.

    Cheers,
    Kilgore Trout

  10. Re:MADMEN? Drilling? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    Er, Dr Merkwuerdigliebe, or more commonly called Dr Strangelove. "A kraut by any other name..."

  11. Re:Serious Problems by grgyle · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Yeah, well, I still can't throw a football spiral to save my life...in fact, mine tumble so badly that three axes aren't even enough to describe the motion...

    --
    ----- And all that the Lorax left here in this mess was a small pile of rocks, with one word...UNLESS.
  12. The first target is the moon by gerardlt · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    Bush heard that the moon is accelerating towards the Earth, and wants to destroy it before it hits us!

    --
    /* This sig is disabled. Press CTRL-W to enable. Thankyou */
  13. Silly acronyms by brucmack · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Mod me offtopic if you must, but is anyone else sick of all these acronyms that were probably thought up before the words they would represent? As soon as I see any of these kinds of acronyms I immediately stop taking the project seriously.

  14. Re:MADMEN? Drilling? by soxos · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    ahh... danke