Wild Bill Posted March 7, 2012 Report Share Posted March 7, 2012 (edited) Well that suggests that one day we will hit the lottery, doesn't it? http://www2.jpl.nasa.gov/sl9/back2.html "NASA knows of no asteroid or comet currently on a collision course with Earth, so the probability of a major collision is quite small. In fact, as best as we can tell, no large object is likely to strike the Earth any time in the next several hundred years. To be able to better calculate the statistics, astronomers need to detect as many of the near-Earth objects as possible. It's likely that we could identify a threatening near-Earth object large enough to potentially cause catastrophic changes in the Earth's environment, and most astronomers believe that a systematic approach to studying asteroids and comets that pass close to the Earth makes good sense. It's too late for the dinosaurs, but today astonomers are conducting ever-increasing searches to identify all of the larger objects which pose an impact danger to Earth." Earlier in the article it says that the chances of a BIG asteroid are about once every million years. Meanwhile we are getting better and better about spotting them. This sort of thing however is one of the major reasons it is so important that Man colonizes Space! If we are living on the Moon, in orbiting satellites and perhaps Mars and eventually other star systems then we will never have to worry about our race becoming extinct. While all this is going on, Obama cuts American space funding so far that she is effectively no longer a player. We may someday see a Star Trek Enterprise but Captain Kirk will be Chinese! Edited March 7, 2012 by Wild Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Manny Posted March 7, 2012 Report Share Posted March 7, 2012 (edited) Well that suggests that one day we will hit the lottery, doesn't it? Bottom line, 'when' not 'if'. Despite that, I wouldn't lose sleep over it. Could happen tomorrow, or in ten thousand years. But at least now we're starting to look for them, so we can see it coming... Edited March 7, 2012 by Manny Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DogOnPorch Posted March 8, 2012 Report Share Posted March 8, 2012 (edited) Bottom line, 'when' not 'if'. Despite that, I wouldn't lose sleep over it. Could happen tomorrow, or in ten thousand years. But at least now we're starting to look for them, so we can see it coming... In the future, some of these near approaches might be ideal times to hitch a ride to a different orbit 'free of charge' or perhaps capture said object into Earth's orbit for mining purposes. Edited March 8, 2012 by DogOnPorch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bush_cheney2004 Posted March 8, 2012 Report Share Posted March 8, 2012 ...While all this is going on, Obama cuts American space funding so far that she is effectively no longer a player. We may someday see a Star Trek Enterprise but Captain Kirk will be Chinese! Two things on this point: 1) NASA isn't the only US domestic resource for this kind of study. 2) International resources also exist in the field. NASA's budget has to be cut for practical reasons, so somebody else can pick up the slack, including Canada. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bush_cheney2004 Posted March 8, 2012 Report Share Posted March 8, 2012 In the future, some of these near approaches might be ideal times to hitch a ride to a different orbit 'free of charge' or perhaps capture said object into Earth's orbit for mining purposes. That's what I like...positive thinking! Doom folk should consider that all that has come before to bring the earth to its present state includes many millions of impacts by objects large and small. Some scientists even think that's how we got most of the earth's water. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wild Bill Posted March 8, 2012 Report Share Posted March 8, 2012 In the future, some of these near approaches might be ideal times to hitch a ride to a different orbit 'free of charge' or perhaps capture said object into Earth's orbit for mining purposes. http://chenected.aiche.org/general-interest/chinese-speculate-about-mining-asteroids/ "A paper published in the Chinese Journal of Astronomy and Astrophysics hypothesizes that an asteroid could be temporarily captured in Earth’s orbit, making it possible to mine it for valuable minerals." Yep, yet another example of how Space will more likely be developed and colonized by China than by Uncle Sam. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bush_cheney2004 Posted March 8, 2012 Report Share Posted March 8, 2012 ...Yep, yet another example of how Space will more likely be developed and colonized by China than by Uncle Sam. ...and that's OK. The Americans are tapped out and have contributed much to the effort, just like the Rooskies. Time for China to step up and join the club. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DogOnPorch Posted March 8, 2012 Report Share Posted March 8, 2012 ...and that's OK. The Americans are tapped out and have contributed much to the effort, just like the Rooskies. Time for China to step up and join the club. Maybe they'll figure out how to drain the hypergolic fuels out of a Long March (in case of...you know...EMERGENCIES) before tossing a few more experimental human payloads into orbit, first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bush_cheney2004 Posted March 8, 2012 Report Share Posted March 8, 2012 Maybe they'll figure out how to drain the hypergolic fuels out of a Long March (in case of...you know...EMERGENCIES) before tossing a few more experimental human payloads into orbit, first. But that could be China's major contribution...man rated flight systems are too expensive! The other day I heard Carl Sagan's assumed successor Dr. Neil Degrasse Tyson admit in public that NASA could get thousands of volunteers for a ONE WAY TRIP to Mars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bonam Posted March 8, 2012 Report Share Posted March 8, 2012 But that could be China's major contribution...man rated flight systems are too expensive! The other day I heard Carl Sagan's assumed successor Dr. Neil Degrasse Tyson admit in public that NASA could get thousands of volunteers for a ONE WAY TRIP to Mars. Of course it could. A one way trip doesn't mean you go there and die. It means you go there and stay there, in a small base/colony, spending the rest of your life exploring, building new things, doing science, etc. I don't see anyone complaining about the idea that colonists to the new world were taking a one way trip. Immigrants continue to do that on a regular basis to this very day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DogOnPorch Posted March 8, 2012 Report Share Posted March 8, 2012 But that could be China's major contribution...man rated flight systems are too expensive! The other day I heard Carl Sagan's assumed successor Dr. Neil Degrasse Tyson admit in public that NASA could get thousands of volunteers for a ONE WAY TRIP to Mars. I heard that. He's probably right! As for the Red Chinese: They launched one Long March even though a technician lost a screwdriver 'somewhere in the rocket'. Another, I'm sure you're aware of, slammed into a small city. They still need a bit-o-work before Prime Time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bush_cheney2004 Posted March 8, 2012 Report Share Posted March 8, 2012 Of course it could. A one way trip doesn't mean you go there and die. It means you go there and stay there, in a small base/colony, spending the rest of your life exploring, building new things, doing science, etc. Understood, but the darker interpretation was the intent, and I would volunteer as well for a one way trip even with certain death on the Red Planet in short order. Of course, far better physically qualified kamikaze astronauts exist. I don't see anyone complaining about the idea that colonists to the new world were taking a one way trip. Immigrants continue to do that on a regular basis to this very day. Agreed 100%, but Tyson was emphasizing that the risk-reward is so great for some people, they would go even when premature death was the certain outcome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olpfan1 Posted March 8, 2012 Report Share Posted March 8, 2012 just like the Rooskies. Yes, they beat you to space Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bush_cheney2004 Posted March 8, 2012 Report Share Posted March 8, 2012 Yes, they beat you to space ...you too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olpfan1 Posted March 8, 2012 Report Share Posted March 8, 2012 ...you too. We beat them at a hockey series Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bush_cheney2004 Posted March 8, 2012 Report Share Posted March 8, 2012 We beat them at a hockey series ...and the world trembled! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olpfan1 Posted March 8, 2012 Report Share Posted March 8, 2012 ...and the world trembled! Canada and Russia had a new found respect for each other after that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DogOnPorch Posted March 9, 2012 Report Share Posted March 9, 2012 Canada and Russia had a new found respect for each other after that Meanwhile... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wild Bill Posted March 9, 2012 Report Share Posted March 9, 2012 ...and that's OK. The Americans are tapped out and have contributed much to the effort, just like the Rooskies. Time for China to step up and join the club. Perhaps BC, but I would be far happier with American values being exported into space colonies than those of China. Also, whichever nation develops space enterprise will become as rich as Croesus! It will be the American frontier Industrial Age all over again! I don't want the West to play the part of old Europe... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eyeball Posted March 9, 2012 Report Share Posted March 9, 2012 Perhaps BC, but I would be far happier with American values being exported into space colonies than those of China. Also, whichever nation develops space enterprise will become as rich as Croesus! It will be the American frontier Industrial Age all over again! I don't want the West to play the part of old Europe... Woe betide any alien species we find that are not as technologically advanced as us, no matter what country our invaders are from. I think it's fair to say we'd be the proverbial monsters from space. If I had anything to say about it the only Earthlings I'd allow to contact another species might be the Tibetans. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bonam Posted March 9, 2012 Report Share Posted March 9, 2012 Woe betide any alien species we find that are not as technologically advanced as us, no matter what country our invaders are from. I think it's fair to say we'd be the proverbial monsters from space. Better to be the monsters than be eaten by the monsters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DogOnPorch Posted March 9, 2012 Report Share Posted March 9, 2012 Better to be the monsters than be eaten by the monsters. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qk12ALX9fz8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eyeball Posted March 9, 2012 Report Share Posted March 9, 2012 Better to be the monsters than be eaten by the monsters. There's always a bigger monster. In any case I don't think the universe has much to fear from our species ever hauling it's ass up out of our gravity well. I think we've seriously compromised our chances of doing so by squandering the planet's resources for the sake of living high on the hog for a handful of generations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DogOnPorch Posted March 9, 2012 Report Share Posted March 9, 2012 There's always a bigger monster. In any case I don't think the universe has much to fear from our species ever hauling it's ass up out of our gravity well. I think we've seriously compromised our chances of doing so by squandering the planet's resources for the sake of living high on the hog for a handful of generations. Ah yes...WIMSSS. 'Where Is My Silver Spacesuit?' Syndrome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eyeball Posted March 9, 2012 Report Share Posted March 9, 2012 Ah yes...WIMSSS. 'Where Is My Silver Spacesuit?' Syndrome. It's more like Island Biogeography actually. See Easter Island for example. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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