UN Plans Asteroid Response Framework

chrb writes "The Association of Space Explorers, a non-profit group of people who have completed at least one Earth orbit in space, has presented a report to the United Nations titled Asteroid Threats: A Call for Global Response. The UN will now meet in February to discuss the issue and try to define a global political framework for dealing with asteroid-based threats to the Earth."

Comments

hmmm

[girlintraining]

Will this be like the original, where if you lose a city then it's gone, or the newer version where you can rebuild a city if you blow up enough asteroids? Also, how are we going to get the east and west to cooperate? Will they only shoot down asteroids that come down on their side of the screen? What if they split up and some come onto our side? Oh, the political decisions...

!brucewillis

[Anonymous Coward]

The real heroes are the guys (and gals) with the calculators.

Re:!brucewillis

[girlintraining]

The real heroes are the guys (and gals) with the calculators.

Sure, but you'll only see them in the credits just before they run the copyright notices. Hollywood is like real life -- nobody cares what it took for the star character to finish the job, because it's all about looking cool, sipping martinis, and driving aston martins. Q just got a few witty one-liners, but otherwise it was a 12 hour work day and no vacation to keep the james bonds of the world well-stocked in disposable tech.

better be careful

[ILuvRamen]

I hope it has less holes in it than the .NET Framework....ohhhhh :P No time to apply patches to that thing hehehe.

Comet protection?

[rigelstar]

I hope this will protect us against comets that have a chemical composition of less than 1.5% the normal level of cyanogen found in normal comets as well as asteroids.

If it's anything like...

[actionbastard]

Fifties and Sixties Civil Defense initiatives, 'Duck and Cover' isn't going to cut it.

The UN shouldn't be screwing around with Astroids

[spike2131]

.... everybody knows that killer robots are the real menace.

Re:How will this be funded?

[da cog]

We can always offer a refund if you're in the spot that got hit.

Better yet, we'll say that if we screw up and you get hit, then the next asteroid defense is free!

Artist's Rendition of the Framework

[Dahamma]

http://homepage.mac.com/lyford/4umsf/asteroids.jpg

Good DAY, Sir!

[Star Particle]

At least we can count on the UN sending that asteroid a strongly-worded letter!

Re:Geez...

[flyingfsck]

Of course. We can use Ruby on Railguns...

The UN can build consensus.

[symbolset]

I'm sure that if an asteroid wiped out the capital of some tinpot dictator that the UN would respond. They would have no trouble building enough consensus to write the Oort cloud a stern letter.

Re:How will this be funded?

[Captain Hook]

a whole bunch of people get fired.

Fired and crushed under a billion tons of rock