Slashdot Mirror
Asteroid Impact Simulator Available
crem_d_genes writes "Scientists at the University of Arizona's Lunar and Planetary Laboratory have developed an online program that calculates the effects of an asteroid impact that can be customized for several parameters. Results and the frequency of the type of event you have selected are displayed with an explanation of what they mean. A news briefing of the full story is available."
Then I can see at which point Bruce Willis and his crew will have to detonate the nuke warhead to save us all. Hollywood here I come!
Oh wait... f1r5t p05t
"Do you suppose that's why God lives in the Heavens? Because he lives in fear of His creations?" - Steve Buscemi
What would happen if a neutron star the size of the moon smacked into the earth at the speed of light?
Inputs:
Projectile Diameter: 10000000.00 m = 32800000.00 ft = 6210.00 miles
Projectile Density: 80000 kg/m3 (ironx10, probably an underestimate)
Impact Velocity: 300000.00 km/s = 186300.00 miles/s (speed of light)
Impact Angle: 45 degrees
Output:
Energy: 1.88 x 1042 Joules = 4.50 x 1026 MegaTons TNT
Transient Crater Diameter: 2897115.48 km = 1799108.71 miles
Final Crater Diameter: 20162191.03 km = 12520720.63 miles
We might not make it.
when big slow rocks get hit, they can break up into little fast rocks that might impact your ship
The fastest way to a high score is to treat the rocks as obstacles, and concentrate on shooting the little fast ship.
Don't blame Durga. I voted for Centauri.
...used by architects commissioned to build a house for Anna Nicole Smith. After her shocking transformation, they felt repurposing the simulator would be quite easy for cosmic body impact.
I die. This isn't very fun. How do you win?
Doeas this mean the effects of an impact on... the planet? A human? A dead badger?
When I saw program... I was thinking along the lines of the Truck dismount..
Not really that funny until you start thinking of the little mans position riding the meteor...
Fire in the hands of the village idiot is no tool, but a weapon of mass destruction
If you notice an asteroid with a swarthy complexion, a headscarf and a Koran using this simulation against sensitive targets on Earth, please notify the Dept of Homeland Security - immediately.
Your Inputs:
Distance from Impact: 1.00 km = 0.62 miles
Projectile Diameter: 3218.68 m = 10557.27 ft = 2.00 miles
Projectile Density: 8000 kg/m3
Impact Velocity: 80500.00 km/s = 49990.50 miles/s
Impact Angle: 45 degrees
Target Density: 3000 kg/m3
Target Type: Competent Rock or saturated soil
Energy:
4.53 x 1029 Joules = 1.08 x 1014 MegaTons TNT
The average interval between impacts of this size somewhere on Earth is 7.0 x 1012years
Crater Size:
What does this mean?
Transient Crater Diameter: 1423.11 km = 883.75 miles
Final Crater Diameter: 3678.54 km = 2284.37 miles
The crater formed is a complex crater.
Ejecta:
What does this mean?
Your position was inside the transient crater and ejected upon impact
-------------
Hope this doesn't hit me...
"All it takes to fly is to hurl yourself at the ground... and miss." -D. Adams
That way, we can watch "Armageddon" from the comfort of our research lab plasma screens.
Seems they've also designed an IP Packet Impact Simulator
Beauty is in the eye of the beerholder.
But could this simulation be used to calculate the airspeed velocity of a laden swallow?
Scientists at the University of Arizona's Lunar and Planetary Laboratory have performed the experiment that measures the effect of slashdotting on their server.
Because it's REALLY FUCKING BIG. Agh! Why is it that so many people don't get this? (not a rant at you in particular) What is it with everyone thinking that by mining the moon or landing rockets on it we're going to shift it out of its orbit or something? It's -big-, people!
"Studies have shown that people who eat peanuts live longer than those who do not eat."
Now we know that striking a webserver with millions of weightless packets, some traveling at the speed of light, will... um, kill it.
I think it's sad that we can't talk about assteroids without wanting to save the planet
Why not put the grad students to work on identification and tracking solutions rather than the assessment of the impact.
Let's see, any asteroid, of say the size of the HST falling to earth will cause damage. This is not spongeworthy!
Now scientists and FUD dwellers have a rapid tool to ascertain everyone's doom. What we need now is a wireless version, running on a PDA so we can calculate at any whim a what if scenario because the big rock will fall on us and we didn't see it coming!
1) First Identify and Track
2) ???
3) Profit!
Harrison's Postulate - "For every action there is an equal and opposite criticism"
I can't find the field to enter in my ex-girlfriends coordinates in.
Actually, it's the FLUSH that disperses the fine mist of coliform bacteria...
"Who are in control, they are not in control of anything - they don't even control themselves!" - Glen Beck
where their server used to be?
That crater over there was their server having just been hit by the Slashdot asteriod.
But could this simulation be used to calculate the airspeed velocity of a laden swallow?
African or European?
"Some fight for law. Some fight for justice. What will you fight for? One day, you will see."
So all I need now is an asteroid!
I hear about people proposing that we should be prepared to attack or deflect any large asteroid heading towards Earth. Instead of trying to do that, I think we should try to understand why the asteroids are attacking us. We need to examine what we have done to the asteroids to make them hate us so much. Ultimately, that's the only way to stop asteroid attacks.
I'm disappointed at the lack of standard-texas-units for the meteor diameter.
Or, for that matter, the standard volkswagon-bug unit.
lorem ipsum, dolor sit amet
> it's generally your refrigerator door handle,
> followed by other door handles. Which you
> probably touch before you eat.
Must remember:
- Open fridge
- take out food on plate
- close fridge
- scratch balls
- eat
Norman Cook's Ode to Sl
Actually the moon is slowly expanding its orbit. It is moving farther and farther from the earth and one day the earth will no longer have a moon. Check it out here. A brief explanation on our falling moon!
But by the time we don't have a moon, we'll have a giant space station up there that will take its place. And then everyone will be quoting "That's no moon, that's a space station."
Not to worry. We'll soon put a stop to that.
...or, if you're Wile E. Coyote...
.10 km/s (terminal velocity)
Inputs:
Projectile Diameter: 1 m = 3.28 ft
Projectile Density: 8000 kg/m3
Impact Velocity:
Impact Angle: 90 degrees
Output:
Crater depth: 3 ft
Crater shape: coyote
Sign poking out of crater: "Ouch!"
What happens if a big asteroid hits the Earth? Judging from realistic simulations involving a sledge hammer and a common laboratory frog, we can assume it will be pretty bad.
Yikes! Less than once a month? You need to see a doctor, pronto!
Tuus crepidae innexilis sunt.
So if you extrapoloate that back a few tens of millions of years...hmmm...well, now we know what killed the dinosaurs. Well, the tall ones at least.
So, if a ball of solid iron the same size as Earth creeps up to us at 1 cm/sec, the "crater" (indentation?) will only be 45 miles across, and no one much will feel it. Also, we can expect this to happen every 800,000 years.
"A great democracy must be progressive or it will soon cease to be a great democracy." --Theodore Roosevelt
it always lands on Moe's
Sailors. Oh man!
Where do I input "France"?