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Congressional Candidate Brianna Wu Claims Moon-Colonizing Companies Could Destroy Cities By Dropping Rocks (washingtontimes.com)

Posted by BeauHD on from the death-from-above dept.

Applehu Akbar quotes a report from Washington Times: A transgender-issues activist and Democratic candidate for Congress says the advent of the space tourism industry could give private corporations a "frightening amount of power" to destroy the Earth with rocks because of the Moon's military importance. Brianna Wu, a prominent "social justice warrior" in the "Gamergate" controversy who now is running for the House seat in Massachusetts' 8th District, suggested in a since-deleted tweet that companies could drop rocks from the Moon. "The moon is probably the most tactically valuable military ground for earth," the tweet said. "Rocks dropped from there have power of 100s of nuclear bombs." After users on social media questioned her scientific literacy, the congressional candidate clarified that the tweet was "talking about dropping [rocks] into our gravity well." Small space rocks can indeed do nuclear-weapons-scale damage if hitting the Earth at orbital speeds. But launching one from the moon, even setting aside issues of aiming, would still require escaping the satellite's gravitational field, a task that requires the power and thrust contained in a huge rocket.

7 of 642 comments (clear)

  1. Editors, you stripped the original title by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Original submission: Brianna Wu Is a Harsh Mistress.

    You stripped this brilliant title and wrote in your blurb that spans two lines!

    1. Re:Editors, you stripped the original title by Cryacin · · Score: 5, Funny

      In summary:
      Wu, got it Wong.

      --
      Science advances one funeral at a time- Max Planck
  2. So, she's perfect for Congress? by Ly4 · · Score: 5, Funny

    The head of the House Science Committee spends all of his time denying and attacking science. She'll fit right in:

    http://www.slate.com/blogs/bad...

  3. It takes a brave woman... by TimothyHollins · · Score: 4, Funny

    There you have it, people! Corporations are just waiting to throw rocks at you from the moon!

    Can someone please give this woman an award for being so stunning and brave?

  4. Re:If he's transgender... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    No, you just have to roll the rock over to the edge of the moon and push it off. Simple. No need to lift it.

  5. Re:At it seems that she reads some good books by arth1 · · Score: 4, Funny

    Wu being a Heinlein fan and taking his writings at face value explains quite a bit.

    But now I'm concerned about what happens when Wu discovers H.P. Lovecraft and Philip K. Dick.

  6. Re:At it seems that she reads some good books by argStyopa · · Score: 5, Funny

    I don't think Wu would be that interested in Dick.

    --
    -Styopa