1-in-1,000 Chance of Asteroid Impact In ... 2182?

astroengine writes "Sure, we're looking 172 years into the future, but an international collaboration of scientists have developed two mathematical models to help predict when a potentially hazardous asteroid (or PHA) may hit us, not in this century, but the next. The rationale is that to stand any hope in deflecting a civilization-ending or extinction-level impact, we need as much time as possible to deal with the threatening space rock. (Asteroid deflection can be a time-consuming venture, after all.) Enter '(101955) 1999 RQ36' — an Apollo class, Earth-crossing, 500 meter-wide space rock. The prediction is that 1999 RQ36 has a 1-in-1,000 chance of hitting us in the future, and according to one of the study's scientists, María Eugenia Sansaturio, half of those odds fall squarely on the year 2182."

Comments

We don't need to worry about it

[mysidia]

172 years people, geeze.

We won't even be alive by then.. why be concerned about something that has a 0.1%chance of happening?

You know this is going to be just like Y2K. Once the chance is realized to be 30% or higher, people will start working on the fix in 2181.

Re:We don't need to worry about it

[MadKeithV]

Or maybe it will try to land on Japan.

Re:We don't need to worry about it

[turbidostato]

"artificially restricting its availability to the financially privileged would cause a mass uprising among the informed."

Yes. The thread, here in Slashdot, will probably reach the 1000 comments.

Let's get crackin'

[DWMorse]

Begin the cloning process of Bruce Willis and a rag-tag team of loveable roughnecks.

Re:Let's get crackin'

[Anonymous Coward]

What we need to do is make a giant ball of garbage to deflect it!

Good news

[rossdee]

NASA can finally have a mission...

It was predicted in Revelations...

[Ken Broadfoot]

    2182 - 2010 = 172 years

Subtract 42 ( Life the universe and everything ) And you get 130 ( Hold this thought )

In 1951, Bobby Thomson hit the "Shot heard round the world" (i.e The Asteroid)
Against the Brooklyn Dodgers...(i.e Earth trying to "dodge")

Take 1951 and turn it into a repeating Decimal .1951951951........ ( this is wrong but who cares )

Then take the above 130 and divide by the repeating decimal and you get....

666 !

Re:It was predicted in Revelations...

[Anonymous Coward]

Wow, you have WAY more time then I do, and I'm jobless living in my sister's basement.

Re:I'll probably be dead by then, right?

[nacturation]

Not only you. The whole human species would be extinct by then. We have global warming, pollution, fuel shortage, wars, corruption. These are enough to finish us by 2100. What happens in 2182 is irrelevant.

Dammit, and 2182 was finally going to be the year of Linux on the desktop!

1.000.000 to one

[Super_Ante]

As long as it isn't a million to one shot...

Re:100%

[PinkyGigglebrain]

It would probably turn out to be a Tax dodger.

Maybe an big import tariff?

Re:I'll probably be dead by then, right?

[Anonymous Coward]

French kiss?

Re:Russian rolette

[maxume]

Just make sure to try to graze your thigh.

keep them frozen till 2999 dec 31

[Joe The Dragon]

keep them frozen till 2999 dec 31

Re:I'll probably be dead by then, right?

[mcgrew]

I'll certainly be dead; I'll be 230 in 2182. Actually, barring some fantastic breakthroughs in medicine and biochemistry, nobody alive now will be alive then.

But you have to die from something; dying from a meteor impact would be a way cool way to go. Imagine the fireworks! Talk about going out with a bang...