It will be comparatively easy to detect a planet-killer sized asteroid and determine its trajectory in plenty of time to launch a deterrent mission.
So we deflect it a teeny bit this time--- Enough to miss us this time around, but what if gravity pulls it back and one of the next times around we're in its path -- again.
Wouldn't we want to deflect it a lot, e.g. send it out of the plane of the ecliptic, maybe due galactic North? Or South?
At least then when it comes back, as it ultimately will, the odds of Earth being in its path are vanishingly small? Or at least small for a really long time?
OTOH I can't see most people being too happy if we send Halley's comet on 5000 year detour. Then again, it's last visit was so underwhelming maybe nobody would really care.
Roughly speaking at STP, one gram of Helium will lift six grams of payload and occupies five liters.
150 tons = approx 136,000kg.
If I did my math right, it would take more than 22,666kg or 113,330 m^3 of Helium to lift it.
According to one source, the U.S. currently has over 4,000,000,000 m^3 in its strategic reserves, and an additional 15,000,000,000 m^3 in probable, possible, and speculative sources.
What if it's in the driveway of my fenced, gated (and gate closed) house, possibly with a guard dog or three roaming the premises?
I think if I found someone crawling under my car in my unfenced, ungated driveway, placing some device on my car, I'd be cueing up the track of a shotgun being pumped on my MP3 player, then playing it real loud for the perp under my car.
Slashdot Mirror
better link, better story--
http://archives.newyorker.com/?i=2008-09-15#folio=063
Both stories about the Gotthard Base tunnel and the boring machines used to dig the tunnel.
mmmm, bacon.
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2008/09/15/080915fa_fact_bilger
Although the picture of the boring machine is probably not what you're looking for.
It will be comparatively easy to detect a planet-killer sized asteroid and determine its trajectory in plenty of time to launch a deterrent mission.
So we deflect it a teeny bit this time--- Enough to miss us this time around, but what if gravity pulls it back and one of the next times around we're in its path -- again.
Wouldn't we want to deflect it a lot, e.g. send it out of the plane of the ecliptic, maybe due galactic North? Or South?
At least then when it comes back, as it ultimately will, the odds of Earth being in its path are vanishingly small? Or at least small for a really long time?
OTOH I can't see most people being too happy if we send Halley's comet on 5000 year detour. Then again, it's last visit was so underwhelming maybe nobody would really care.
They can't even see a banking crisis coming....
It's usually easier to see it coming if you don't close your eyes to it.
Oops, got the wrong bit of DNA.
What do you suppose that red hourglass on the back of this moth means?
Oh, don't let that fly out the window.
Darn, it got away -- I wonder if that's bad?
Copying music wasn't much of an issue until it became not only trivial to do but also trivial to share.
Once upon a time a third party would have had real work to do to find out how much I pay in property taxes, for example.
Yeah, it's public information, but it wasn't trivial to get.
I want accessibility of information about me to help me and make my life easier.
I don't want easy access to _my_ information to make it easy for other people to make my life more difficult.
In my case, 100% are ignored.
Roughly speaking at STP, one gram of Helium will lift six grams of payload and occupies five liters.
150 tons = approx 136,000kg.
If I did my math right, it would take more than 22,666kg or 113,330 m^3 of Helium to lift it.
According to one source, the U.S. currently has over 4,000,000,000 m^3 in its strategic reserves, and an additional 15,000,000,000 m^3 in probable, possible, and speculative sources.
Actually, when I fill my gas tank, that two dollars is more likely going to Canada.
But hey, Canadians, Saudis; mostly they look the same.
I think if I found someone crawling under my car in my unfenced, ungated driveway, placing some device on my car, I'd be cueing up the track of a shotgun being pumped on my MP3 player, then playing it real loud for the perp under my car.
Borrowed from the God is dead -Nietzsche, Nietzsche is dead -God meme without apologies.