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ESA Selects Targets for Asteroid Deflection Test
Vandil X writes "The European Space Agency has announced that it has selected two candidate asteroid targets for a planned mission to impact an asteroid in an attempt to deflect the asteroid off course by a measurable amount. The mission, dubbed "Don Quijote," will send two spacecraft to their final choice asteroid. One craft will impact the asteroid while the other will observe the asteroid before and after the collision. The mission craft and target selection are expected to be finalized sometime in 2007."
I hope Bruce Willis in onboard.
:wq
Can't we just drill 20 miles into it and blow the fucker up with a nuke?
... but can only watch it in black and white vector graphics, and have to pay $0.25 to view it.
...are located here. Looks kind of odd.
In other news, the asteroid deflected in 2008 by the European Space Agency has been confirmed as hitting Earth in December this year, with an expected impact point near Switzerland.
It's been nice knowing you folks.
my horoscope... this could immeasurably ruin my life!! Don't these insensitive rock-et science clods know they could end up making it so I never meet a woman?
Support NYCountryLawyer RIAA vs People
We all die.
Seriously, though. If you read the article, you would know that they picked an asteroid that will never cross the earth's path (more than 1AU from sun at all times). The tiny nudge would be like hitting Pavorati with a spit ball. Not nearly enough to make it an earth killer.
See my journal for slashdot ID's by year. Mine created in 2005. http://slashdot.org/journal/289875/slashdot-ids-by-year
The two target candidates are:
1. 2002 AT4
2. France
Yeah, unfortunately there is something wrong with that equation. It does not take into account of the direction of which the asteroid will be deflected. Although I hope that the mathematics used to base the "crash" on would be calculated so that it does not shift the objects into a collision course with Earth. Knowing us, some organization will use British units, one will use Metric.
... to that crazy Russian lady who claims that stuff like this will mess up her horoscope?
"Destroy science and religion. Science would re-emerge exactly the same; but not religion." - Penn Jillette, paraphrased
Maybe they will conduct scale model tests with Pavorati and spit balls.
ir, I wish you good luck in finding a circus capable of handling your freakishness.
I have. It is called "Slashdot".
See my journal for slashdot ID's by year. Mine created in 2005. http://slashdot.org/journal/289875/slashdot-ids-by-year
"..Wouldn't the cost of such a test be well into millions of dollars?"
It costs less than an "Oh shit!" down the road.
"Derp de derp."
What we don't want to hear after a successful deflection....
If you could reason with religious people, there would be no religious people
Brace for another lawsuit from that kooky Russian astrologer.
"It's the height of ridiculousness to say for those 9 lines you get hundreds of millions."
If you're interested in asteroid deflection, Jay Melosh has a few ideas.
Including: "Deploying a giant parabolic mirror to concentrate the sun's rays and vaporize rock on the surface of the asteroid. The vaporized material flies off at high speed and generates a re-coil action that pushes the asteroid, slowly but surely, in the opposite direction."
Which is great, because the parabolic mirror can double as a way for Bruce Willis to cook and refrigerate his food while he's there.
What happens ... if they blow it off course in the wrong direction?
Multiple answers:
ALIENS: "Game over, man, game over!"
LAST STARFIGHTER: *bzzt* "We die."
YOSEMITE SAM: "Say yer prayers, varmint."
MARVIN THE MARTIAN: "The Earth? Oh, the Earth will be gone in just a few seconds."
Do you feel better now?
I like the idea, however, that there is something we could hit Pavarotti with that would make him an Earth-killer. Gamma radiation, perhaps?
"Pavarotti SMASH!!! "
"Destroy science and religion. Science would re-emerge exactly the same; but not religion." - Penn Jillette, paraphrased
Wouldn't it be really funny if they changed its course to Earth? Someone has to lose their job for that one.
"If you are a dreamer, a wisher, a liar, A hope-er, a pray-er, a magic bean buyer
This sounds a lot like something that's been tried before. Why don't they draw a conclusion from the existing data from Tempel-1? Or, while they're at it, why not try a new concept?
For instance, how about landing on the asteroid and attaching an anchor to it? Drop anchor (unreel) and wait for the closest approach to the moon. Then, use an ion drive on the anchor to bring it as close to the moon as possible. If the cable is long enough, the anchor will be pulled down into the gravity well of the moon with much greater force than otherwise. It won't capture the asteroid in lunar orbit, but the trajectory of the asteroid will be changed in a far more predictable and adjustable way than with impacts and explosions.
An extra bonus is that communicating with the anchor, you will always know the exact location of the asteroid.
The only catch is that you need a very long cable, and that will raise the launch costs.
i wonder what effect this will have on my horoscope ;)
We will deflect an Asteroid. Within a few 1000 years it will hit another world. The few aliens that 'went underground' will figure out why that happend and they will launch an attact om earth...
There's a Beagle 2 joke here somewhere, but I can't place it.
OT but if you think building inspectors are the good guys, you've clearly never done any major remodelling.
Instead of "unsung hero", lets instead call them "territorial demon-spawn".
And yes, moderators. Thats "insightful" or "funny (in a sad kind of way)" if you've been through that before. "off-topic" if you haven't.
...Do they know something (troubling) that I don't?
I suspect they know a lot of things that you don't. Things that you would find very troubling.
You never really know how close to the edge you can go until you fall off.
...who live in the asteroid? I wonder if they have the technology to build a rocket to deflect the two metal asteroids in crash-route with them.
What, do I need a sig now?