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Another Asteroid Collision With Earth
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| Jan. 24, 2007— What are the odds an asteroid or meteoroid will hit the Earth again? Pretty good, according to some scientists.
There are millions of these "rocks" out there, and about 200,000 to 400,000 of them get close enough to be classified as celestial objects that could come within range of our home planet. But it only takes one, as anyone who has studied the dinosaurs will tell you. Many scientists believe an asteroid impact led to the extinction of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago. Apollo 9 astronaut Russell Schweickart believes it is simply a matter of time before another asteroid targets Earth. "It could be 20 years, or a hundred years, or a thousand years," he said. Schweickart is one of the founders of the B612 Foundation, which studies how to alter the orbit of an asteroid to prevent it from hitting Earth. "It's a very infrequent occurrence — an asteroid impacting the Earth — but when it happens, it will be devastating." Schweickart says he's frustrated because he believes this project should be led by an international organization. He contends there is no way to predict when or where an asteroid will hit the Earth, so no single government should be held responsible for asteroid avoidance. He wants to see the United Nations set up an agency mandated to prevent an asteroid from colliding with the Earth and has planned a series of meetings around the world to develop a comprehensive plan. Schweickart anticipates a project that would cost several hundred million dollars, a burden for any single country, but something much more practical as a combined effort. How would you keep an asteroid form hitting the Earth? Schweickart outlined a three-step program. Early Warning. You need to know it's coming by searching for it. NASA currently has a budget of $4.1 million to look for asteroids. Take Action. Develop the ability to deflect an asteroid. Some technology is available now, but propulsion that doesn't exist yet will be required — nuclear reactors that could power ion-propulsion systems for interplanetary spacecraft. Make a Decision. Some agency has to decide to do this and fund it. This isn't about ducking a bullet going past your head; this is about seeing what is coming your way decades ahead and believing in the laws of gravity. Edward T. Lu is a NASA astronaut who has developed a plan of action for deflecting an asteroid. He and fellow astronaut Stan Love have come up with the concept of a space tug. A space tug is a rocket that would launch to the same orbit as an asteroid threatening to hit the Earth and alter the asteroid's orbit by pushing in the direction of its orbital motion. Lu told ABC News, "You don't have to change much — one hundred thousandth of a mile an hour is enough, 10 years ahead of time, to cause an asteroid to miss the rendezvous with Earth." NASA is taking some steps to learn more about asteroids. Chris McKay is a planetary scientist with the Ames Research Center as well as the deputy lead scientist for the Constellation Program — the project to go back to the moon and on to Mars. Orion is the vehicle that will carry the astronauts, launched with an Ares rocket. McKay is exploring ways to use Orion for other missions, like sending a crew to land on an asteroid. "It is exciting to think about rendezvousing with an asteroid and bringing back samples," McKay said. "What we could learn about the origins of the Earth is mind-boggling." While McKay is excited about the possibility of landing on an asteroid, he says there is currently no mandate to start deflecting asteroids. "Right now, there is nothing out there that we know of with our name on it, but if we did find something, this mission could give the knowledge to deter a disaster." An ounce of prevention is the mantra for scientists concerned about asteroids smacking into us. Both Schweickart and McKay use the failure of the levees in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina as an example of poor planning on all levels of government. Is getting hit by an asteroid something to lose sleep over? Probably not, said Schweickart. But he said that people should be more concerned about the government's role in watching for an asteroid. NASA's Near Earth Object Observation Program is responsible for tracking any near-Earth asteroids larger than a kilometer in size. NASA is not responsible for preventing an asteroid that it tracks from hitting the Earth. No agency has that mandate right now. And the lack of a plan, said Schweickart, is something that causes him to lose sleep. |
ABC NEWS
It is really amazing, nobody really stops and thinks about the possibility of an astroid or meteor crashing into earth.
We see it all the time in movies and stuff but don't really think about what would happen if something did strike earth. Would we parrish like the dinosaurs? Would it create another ice age? Of course there would be major flooding and other extensive damage but the main question is, are we prepaired for something like that?
Then again how could you prepair for it? Sure you could build yourslef an undergound shelter, how would you survive the aftermath?
All these questions, but no answers.
If you're close to the impact: duck your head between your knees and kiss your arse goodbye.
If you're a further from it: Gather up all the food, water, gas, et cetera that you can, but stay inside while the dust is falling. Move to high ground quickly if you are near an ocean.
If you're a long way away from it, gather all the supplies you can, and stay away from oceans.
Probably the best place to be in such a case would be in a nuclear submarine. It would still have to resupply occasionally, but it would be a lot better off than most, because it is so self-sufficient and isolated.
If you're a further from it: Gather up all the food, water, gas, et cetera that you can, but stay inside while the dust is falling. Move to high ground quickly if you are near an ocean.
If you're a long way away from it, gather all the supplies you can, and stay away from oceans.
Probably the best place to be in such a case would be in a nuclear submarine. It would still have to resupply occasionally, but it would be a lot better off than most, because it is so self-sufficient and isolated.
| Quote: |
| What are the odds an asteroid or meteoroid will hit the Earth again? Pretty good, according to some scientists. |
Um - duh? It's never a question of if, but when.
I don't know what I'do.
It's a scary thing to think about.
It's a scary thing to think about.
It obviously depends upon where you are in realtion to the impact but there isn't a whole lot you could do but prepare for the worst.
It is kind of wierd and scary to think of such a thing happening and the only thing that keeps us from going insane is remembering that it 'probably' wont happen n our life time (rather selfish approach regarding your decendants I know).
It is kind of wierd and scary to think of such a thing happening and the only thing that keeps us from going insane is remembering that it 'probably' wont happen n our life time (rather selfish approach regarding your decendants I know).
It's a matter of afraid and if such thing happens , what would be to this world and the world's poeple ? Just as like happen to dinosaurs ?
If something might happend I just hope it's after I'm dead. It's bad to say that but I don't think I can take it knowing that I will die arount that date. I don't want to die in an acident either, a natural death is more of my thing.
| Quote: |
| Jan. 24, 2007— What are the odds an asteroid or meteoroid will hit the Earth again? Pretty good, according to some scientists.
There are millions of these "rocks" out there, and about 200,000 to 400,000 of them get close enough to be classified as celestial objects that could come within range of our home planet. But it only takes one, as anyone who has studied the dinosaurs will tell you. Many scientists believe an asteroid impact led to the extinction of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago. Apollo 9 astronaut Russell Schweickart believes it is simply a matter of time before another asteroid targets Earth. "It could be 20 years, or a hundred years, or a thousand years," he said. Schweickart is one of the founders of the B612 Foundation, which studies how to alter the orbit of an asteroid to prevent it from hitting Earth. "It's a very infrequent occurrence — an asteroid impacting the Earth — but when it happens, it will be devastating." Schweickart says he's frustrated because he believes this project should be led by an international organization. He contends there is no way to predict when or where an asteroid will hit the Earth, so no single government should be held responsible for asteroid avoidance. He wants to see the United Nations set up an agency mandated to prevent an asteroid from colliding with the Earth and has planned a series of meetings around the world to develop a comprehensive plan. Schweickart anticipates a project that would cost several hundred million dollars, a burden for any single country, but something much more practical as a combined effort. How would you keep an asteroid form hitting the Earth? Schweickart outlined a three-step program. Early Warning. You need to know it's coming by searching for it. NASA currently has a budget of $4.1 million to look for asteroids. Take Action. Develop the ability to deflect an asteroid. Some technology is available now, but propulsion that doesn't exist yet will be required — nuclear reactors that could power ion-propulsion systems for interplanetary spacecraft. Make a Decision. Some agency has to decide to do this and fund it. This isn't about ducking a bullet going past your head; this is about seeing what is coming your way decades ahead and believing in the laws of gravity. Edward T. Lu is a NASA astronaut who has developed a plan of action for deflecting an asteroid. He and fellow astronaut Stan Love have come up with the concept of a space tug. A space tug is a rocket that would launch to the same orbit as an asteroid threatening to hit the Earth and alter the asteroid's orbit by pushing in the direction of its orbital motion. Lu told ABC News, "You don't have to change much — one hundred thousandth of a mile an hour is enough, 10 years ahead of time, to cause an asteroid to miss the rendezvous with Earth." NASA is taking some steps to learn more about asteroids. Chris McKay is a planetary scientist with the Ames Research Center as well as the deputy lead scientist for the Constellation Program — the project to go back to the moon and on to Mars. Orion is the vehicle that will carry the astronauts, launched with an Ares rocket. McKay is exploring ways to use Orion for other missions, like sending a crew to land on an asteroid. "It is exciting to think about rendezvousing with an asteroid and bringing back samples," McKay said. "What we could learn about the origins of the Earth is mind-boggling." While McKay is excited about the possibility of landing on an asteroid, he says there is currently no mandate to start deflecting asteroids. "Right now, there is nothing out there that we know of with our name on it, but if we did find something, this mission could give the knowledge to deter a disaster." An ounce of prevention is the mantra for scientists concerned about asteroids smacking into us. Both Schweickart and McKay use the failure of the levees in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina as an example of poor planning on all levels of government. Is getting hit by an asteroid something to lose sleep over? Probably not, said Schweickart. But he said that people should be more concerned about the government's role in watching for an asteroid. NASA's Near Earth Object Observation Program is responsible for tracking any near-Earth asteroids larger than a kilometer in size. NASA is not responsible for preventing an asteroid that it tracks from hitting the Earth. No agency has that mandate right now. And the lack of a plan, said Schweickart, is something that causes him to lose sleep. |
It's very funny to see how much movies ppl saw to have these kind of ideas!
An edited version of the 2004 MN4 story originally posted on SPACE.com at 9:58 a.m. ET on Dec. 24:
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| Scientists said Thursday that a recently discovered asteroid has a chance of hitting Earth in the year 2029, but that further observations would likely rule out the impact scenario.
The asteroid is named 2004 MN4. It was discovered in June and spotted again this month. It is about a quarter mile (400 meters) wide. That's bigger than the space rock that carved meteor crater in Arizona, and bigger than one that exploded in the air above Siberia in 1908, flattening thousands of square miles of forest. If an asteroid the size of 2004 MN4 hit the Earth, it would do considerable localized or regional damage. It would not cause damage on a global scale. Scientists stressed, however, that the rock would likely miss the planet. A statement was released by NASA asteroid experts Don Yeomans, Steve Chesley and Paul Chodas. "The odds of impact, presently around 1-in-300, are unusual enough to merit special monitoring by astronomers, but should not be of public concern," the scientists said. "These odds are likely to change on a day-to-day basis as new data are received. In all likelihood, the possibility of impact will eventually be eliminated as the asteroid continues to be tracked by astronomers around the world." The scientists project an asteroid's future travels based on observations of its current orbit around the Sun. On computer models, the future orbits are not lines but rather windows of possibility. The orbit projections for 2004 MN4 on April 13, 2029 cover a wide swath of space that includes the location where Earth will be. Additional observations will allow refined orbit forecasts -- more like a line instead of a window. The asteroid will be easily observable in coming months, so scientists expect to figure out its path. Most asteroids circle the Sun in a belt between Mars and Jupiter. But some get gravitationally booted toward the inner solar system. The 323-day orbit of 2004 MN4 lies mostly within the orbit of Earth. The asteroid approaches the Sun almost as close as the orbit of Venus. It crosses near the Earth's orbit twice on each of its passages about the Sun. 2004 MN4 was discovered on June 19 by Roy Tucker, David Tholen and Fabrizio Bernardi of the NASA-funded University of Hawaii Asteroid Survey. It was rediscovered on Dec. 18 from Australia by Gordon Garradd of the Siding Spring Survey. More than three dozen observations have been made, with more expected to roll in from other observatories this week. It has been a busy stretch for asteroid scientists. Earlier this week, researchers announced that a small space rock had zoomed past Earth closer than the orbits of some satellites. |
I don't know what to do. i hope that there is a way that we can destroy or that we can change the path of the astroid.
i hope that this would never happen, because an end of the world scenario i can't think about it or i should getting crazy.
i hope that this would never happen, because an end of the world scenario i can't think about it or i should getting crazy.
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