Asteroid Just Misses Earth (Mexico, theory, life, see)

[Brian.Pearson]

I read the Brits are going to have a satellite to Apophis in 2014 (http://cyberscrap.blogspot.com/2007/09/british-scientists-plans-to-save-earth.html - broken link) to get a more precise idea of its orbit and so forth.

[NightBazaar]

Originally Posted by Brian.Pearson

I read the Brits are going to have a satellite to Apophis in 2014 (http://cyberscrap.blogspot.com/2007/09/british-scientists-plans-to-save-earth.html - broken link) to get a more precise idea of its orbit and so forth.

Thanks Brian. Good article. I got a couple of things screwed up. Looks like the close flyby will be in 2029, and what happens then, in relation to the narrow "gravitational keyhole", will determine whether Apophis will hit the Earth in 2036. Regardless, it could be very nasty if it does.

Good luck to the British with the idea of nudging the asteroid by ramming it to change its orbit. Sounds similar to ramming the comet a couple or so years ago. Some ideas that have been proposed have been to use nuclear explosions (near but not on the surface) to alter its orbit. Whatever is done, it need to be carefully calculated to ensure that altering the orbit won't put it into a trajectory that will hit the Earth at some other time. Still, if nudging it works, then it could be nudged again in the future if need be.

I believe we have the know-how and ability to control at least some of these celestial bullets, but the biggest headache is getting enough interest to fund doing something about it rather than wait until the last minute when such a danger becomes much more real. Being aware of the risks these things can pose well ahead of time can be a good step in the right direction.

[Gematria]

Originally Posted by 6 FOOT 3

It was only spotted 2 days ago as it makes you wonder how many others are out there they don't know about.

Yep, someday.

[Magnum Mike]

Asteroid Just Misses Earth

I never had any problems destroying astroids... I destroyed lots of them, and it only cost me a quarter at the game arcade in the mall..

Seriously, I saw something about it. There are many factors to take into consideration if an astroid, a meteor, or any other space debris and objects, were to come near earth, and penetrate the atmosphere, mainly its size, speed, and its course of travel in space relative to earth. If it's something less than 1/3 of a mile in diameter, and it enters the earth's atmosphere at a 90 degree angle relative to the earth's surface traveling at thousands of miles per hour, it could burn up and disintegrate, depending on the material it's composed of. But if something 1/3 of a mile, up to 20 miles in diameter, enters the earth's atmosphere at an angle of less than 60 degrees relative to the earth's surface, it will probably bounce off the atmosphere, and go back out to space.

Worst case scenario is a large astroid or a meteor coming in at a an angle greater than 70 degrees - That's when it's the end of life on earth. Obviously, most life forms would not survive the catastrophic outcome that subsequently result from such an impact.

[Six Foot Three]

Did someone mention playing asteroids .

Asteroids game

[Magnum Mike]

Originally Posted by 6 FOOT 3

Did someone mention playing asteroids .

Asteroids game

... For some reason, I aimed the pointer right at the center of the asteroids but it wasn't destroying them like it should have, I did destroy 3 or 4 that's about it, but I was able to destroy the UFO whenever it appeared and I aimed at it. Maybe it's a bug in the game... so I guess we can say it's a... pain in the asteroids!

[Six Foot Three]

Originally Posted by Magnum Mike

... For some reason, I aimed the pointer right at the center of the asteroids but it wasn't destroying them like it should have, I did destroy 3 or 4 that's about it, but I was able to destroy the UFO whenever it appeared and I aimed at it. Maybe it's a bug in the game... so I guess we can say it's a... pain in the asteroids!

We could always have an asteroid tournament. Let's see i'll go up against Village Life and you can play against Livewire in the opening round. Something tells me we''l get our butts kicked .

[Magnum Mike]

Originally Posted by 6 FOOT 3

We could always have an asteroid tournament. Let's see i'll go up against Village Life and you can play against Livewire in the opening round. Something tells me we''l get our butts kicked .

Morelike... we'll get our asteroids kicked...

[Six Foot Three]

Originally Posted by Magnum Mike

Seriously, I saw something about it. There are many factors to take into consideration if an astroid, a meteor, or any other space debris and objects, were to come near earth, and penetrate the atmosphere, mainly its size, speed, and its course of travel in space relative to earth. If it's something less than 1/3 of a mile in diameter, and it enters the earth's atmosphere at a 90 degree angle relative to the earth's surface traveling at thousands of miles per hour, it could burn up and disintegrate, depending on the material it's composed of. But if something 1/3 of a mile, up to 20 miles in diameter, enters the earth's atmosphere at an angle of less than 60 degrees relative to the earth's surface, it will probably bounce off the atmosphere, and go back out to space.

Worst case scenario is a large astroid or a meteor coming in at a an angle greater than 70 degrees - That's when it's the end of life on earth. Obviously, most life forms would not survive the catastrophic outcome that subsequently result from such an impact.[/color][/b]

Yes back to being serious here.....as that is really interesting about the potential impact of the different angles if an asteroid were to hit the planet.

Thanks Mike !!

[NightBazaar]

Exactly 20 years from today
That an asteroid will come our way.
If it hits the Earth I must confess
It could make a very nasty mess.
So let me introduce to you
The rock we've known and hope will miss.
It's the Asteroid Aphophis.......



Incoming asteroid under close watch - Discovery.com- msnbc.com