NASA Can't Pay for Killer Asteroid Hunt

CGISecurity.com writes "NASA officials say the space agency is capable of finding nearly all the asteroids that might pose a devastating hit to Earth, but there isn't enough money to pay for the task so it won't get done. 'We know what to do, we just don't have the money,' said Simon 'Pete' Worden, director of NASA's Ames Research Center." But hey, it's just the potential end of the world, so nothing much to worry about there.

Comments

Re:About $1 Billion

[inviolet]

This sounds like an entirely rational, sensible argument. As a result, I predict that it will have absolutely zero effect on anyone in Congress.

As an alternative, I suggest you come up with some "evidence" suggesting that an asteroid impact would transform their children into mutants, preferably homosexual ones; or, that the asteroids are a Arab Terrorist Plot. Double points if the asteroid is Mexican.

Apparently you haven't been paying attention. NASA's de jure purpose is certainly the exploration of strange new worlds, and the going where no one has gone before, and so on... after all, purposes de jure must always sound good. However, NASA's de facto purpose is to distribute federal funds into specific congressional districts.

Therefore, rational and poetic arguments will win applause in Congress, but the votes will come when somebody takes the podium and presents an asteroid-detection system whose major components are situated (or at least fabricated) in the congressional districts of everyone on the appropriations committee.

Jesus on an asteroid

[Wubby]

Born-again Bush and his evangelical whack-job support base actually WANT the world to end. These people are so deluded by their "faith" that they really want the world to end in fire and blood. They don't support Israel because they care about little Jewish kids growing up in peace, but because Jesus will come flying to earth on a cloud swinging a sword soon! They don't care about asteroid wiping out humanity, because humanity is unimportant to them.

These people actually BELIEVE that Jesus will return to earth in their lifetime, and that they are going to be ushered into heaven, while everyone else dies a horrific death at the hand of the "Prince of Peace", Do you REALLY think they are interested in advancing human understanding and civilization? Do you actually think these people ponder the future of the human race?