Earth Life Possibly Could Reach Titan

dylanduck writes "New simulations show that big asteroid impacts on Earth could have sent about 600 million boulders flying into space. About 100 have reached Jupiter's moon Europa - but they landed at 24 miles/sec. 'This must be rather frustrating if you're a bacterium that survived launch from Earth,' says a researcher. But 30 boulders from each impact reach Titan - and they land gently." From the article: "'I thought the Titan result was really surprising - how many would get there and how slowly they'd land,' Treiman told New Scientist. 'The thing I don't know about is if there are any bugs on Earth that would be happy living on Titan.' Titan's surface temperature is a very cold -179C and its chemistry is very different from Earth's."

Comments

I'm scared

[ericdano]

So, since we have determined that these things DO HIT EARTH, how about we start PREVENTING this from happening.

Re:I'm scared (not)

[rapidweather]

Anyone remember an asteroid story where we did not know about the thing until after it passed Earth, and was going away?
So, if one is going to hit, we probably, and should not, know in advance.

Something much smaller, but terrifying nonetheless, was Katrina. I remember seeing grandmothers, children fleeing up the highway the next day, knowing from the looks of them that they would not last another mile without dropping in their tracks. Their transportation that got them here ran out of gas, apparently, and they got out and started walking. Power was out, all I had working was my scanner, hooked to a car battery. Several men had been swept off their roofs during the storm, trying to fix roofs damaged by falling trees. Broken backs. Much worse further south toward the Coast. The only bright side: Good thing we had bicycles, no gasoline anymore.

Knowing in advance would not be good, from what I have seen, if we are to be hit with a giant asteroid.
If another Katrina comes around, we are going to have a lot of problems based on what Forbes.com discusses here:

  Victims who are rescued from the horrors of the flood-ravaged city of New Orleans may have frequent and intense psychological problems similar to those that plague troops returning from Iraq, Afghanistan or Vietnam--problems that could spread to the rescuers as well. Up to a third of the victims of the Gulf Coast catastrophe might be affected

(Sorry I did not link to the story, they had an advertisement page ahead of it.)

     

Offtopic

[mctk]

Knowing in advance would not be good, from what I have seen, if we are to be hit with a giant asteroid.

I'm wondering how your story led you to this conclusion.