Support NeoGAF

[G4life98]

Looks like a good excuse for more funding of the airforces directed energy weapons and space defense programs.

 

[SantaC]

jesus, some of you people talk like it's all over. As the article said the earth WONT be destroyed by a hit. You will have plenty time to move from the area it will hit.

 

[fallout]

Contrary to popular belief, Armageddon did not show the best way to take care of an asteroid. Fuck, that movie was like Die Hard, except that it was Bruce Willis vs. the giant rock careening towards Earth rather than a bunch of German terrorists.

Oh well, my birthday's on April 2nd, so at least I'll be partying for 11 days, then repenting on the last.

 

[SantaC]

hmm according to some newspapers the blast of that astroid will be like 600 atomic bombs. That's quite a blast. It would definitley do a lot of damage.

 

[Pimpwerx]

The answer: Mass drivers. The probability of making and then successfully deploying such a thing is 0. But I like the idea of mass drivers better than nukes. Aren't some asteroids just loose clumps of rock? A nuke will only vaporize a small part of it, the shockwave probably won't do too much to deflect a huge mass of rocks hurtling at like 5 miles per second through space, no? Might just make it a bigger debris pile that's tougher to take out. In any case, I'll be almost 51 when it hits. That's a long life. I guess I don't need to worry about life insurance or a 401k then, huh? Or maybe I should just retire extra-early, at like 35. :lol PEACE.

 

[MIMIC]

Apparently, the odds of an impact have improved. They've been upped from a 1 in 63 chance to a 1 in 45 chance.
Space

 

[jett]

Apparently, the odds of an impact have improved. They've been upped from a 1 in 63 chance to a 1 in 45 chance.
Space

This is getting ridiculous. WTF?

 

[MrPing1000]

And even as it stands with present knowledge, the chances are 97.8 percent the rock will miss Earth.

from now on I'm going by percentages not odds

 

[Phoenix]

Its not a biggie to be honest. It may hit us, it may not. At the moment there isn't anything we can do except try to find the target region and evacuate it. By 2029 its possible that we may be nearing the ability to do something about it. Nevertheless, this clearly shows one of the reasons why we need to continue to push space technologies despite a 'short term need'.

 

[ManaByte]

Its not a biggie to be honest. It may hit us, it may not. At the moment there isn't anything we can do except try to find the target region and evacuate it. By 2029 its possible that we may be nearing the ability to do something about it. Nevertheless, this clearly shows one of the reasons why we need to continue to push space technologies despite a 'short term need'.

Which sounds more possible?

Evacuating the planet or finding a way to deflect the asteroid?

1900 megatons is pretty damned big.

 

[Lathentar]

Unless the target is a metropolitan area there shouldn't be a problem at all. About what... 95% of the Earth is unoccupied?

 

[Phoenix]

Which sounds more possible?

Evacuating the planet or finding a way to deflect the asteroid?

1900 megatons is pretty damned big.

On the scale a 4 would only do regional damage. This would not require 'evacuation of the planet' on evacuation of the region of impact.

 

[MIMIC]

:lol Threat of asteroid impact completely eliminated

Dammit!

 

[impirius]

1900 megatons is pretty damned big.

This forum barely handled one megaton... I don't think it could withstand 1900

 

[Justin Bailey]

:lol Threat of asteroid impact completely eliminated

Dammit!

That's exactly what the patroits want you to think.

 

[teiresias]

That's still an awfully damn close passage, much closer than anything else I think - they're always taking about things passing really far away as being "astronomical close calls" after all.

 

[Mama Smurf]

I wonder what this thing will look like.

 

[fallout]

That's still an awfully damn close passage, much closer than anything else I think - they're always taking about things passing really far away as being "astronomical close calls" after all.

Well, it's not quite the same. First off, these things aren't on a highway moving at 100 km/h (~60 mph) trying to cross the country or something. A hundred thousand kilometers doesn't make much of a difference when you're travelling at 30km/s or more (quick calculation, it could do it in less than an hour).

Gravity also has to be factored in, as the thing wouldn't even be moving without it (nothing would). So it's not like this thing is heading on a straight line for us. The Earth could pull it in, other planets could push it away, etc. If you want to give yourself an idea of the gravitational power planets can have, look at Jupiter. It causes its moon Io to be torn from the inside out on a regular cycle through volcanic activity.

 

[Drexon]

I think we should destroy it anyway. I mean, these thing pass in a circulary motion around the sun, right? So what if 1000 years from now the hippies have taken over and destroyed all our weapons and we're living like headnings then? :lol We wouldn't stand a chance. Destroy it when it from a safe distance from the earth, sending it into the sun or whereever.