Slashdot Mirror
British Company Takes Lead To Stop Asteroids
An anonymous reader writes to tell us that following the news of NASA's budget cuts impacting their ability to do things like watch the sky for asteroids, a British company has decided to create a "gravity tractor" ship that could divert asteroids away from Earth if the need should arise. Of course, a gravity tractor certainly isn't a new idea. "Dr. Cordey said the company had worked with a number of space authorities on other methods of protecting the Earth from asteroids, but this one would be able to target a wider range. He said: 'We have done quite a lot of design work on this with the European Space Agency and we believe this would work just as well on a big solid iron asteroid as well as other types.' But the high cost implications mean that before the device could be made, it would have to be commissioned by a government or a group of governments working together."
"Does it drown dolphins and club baby seals to death?"
Actually, I've been thinking of a little getaway. Someplace a guy can just be himself, let his guard down, and relax. Are you selling vacations? I could enjoy clubbing a few baby seals, and roasting their little carcasses over a nice propane fire. Liberal supplies of alcohol antifreeze, maybe some Valkyrie waitresses and chambermaids . . . . .
"Windows is like the faint smell of piss in a subway: it's there, and there's nothing you can do about it." - Charlie Br