so this big bad assed meteorite is gonna cruise

[stellanoir]

by our planet way beyond our orbit. It won't threaten us at all.

And our leaders in their ingenious stupidity think with their astute stoner logic that we should shoot a bazooka sized whole through it to allegedly understand better the origin of our cosmos.

I'm sorry but I think it's a bit unwise to mess around with interstellar objects which pose no threat and irrevocably alter their trajectory having no understanding of their mass.

I got in a rather huge argument about it the other night.

My opponant said that it was a matter of national and planetary defense so that we could practice shooting these objects out of the sky so that they wouldn't destroy life as we know it on earth.

I said, "But that's not why they're saying that we're doing it. They're acting as though we're just performing an act of scientific inquiry. Nor are they intending to destroy it. The haven't the firepower at such length and distance. They just would prefer to make it resemble a donut. God only knows what direction it or it's debris will take once such an attack is launched.

I insisted that we were under far more danger by terrestrial forces at this juncture in time than any interstellar forces.

He laughed at me.

My opponant challenged me to produce a DOD or NASA statement referring to the goal of the mission.

Does anyone have any links or opinions on this?

[bloom]

1. Is this the same guy

we discussed earlier - or this another one?


I don't have an answer for you. And their site is slow. http://www.nasa.gov/


My theory is that somehow that Mayans were right and the world is going to take a hit on 12/21/12.

[stellanoir]

2. thanks for the link but isn't working for me currently

Yeah it might be the same guy, but fundamentally, I don't think what they're up to is for the good of mankind and just want to verify.

thanks again.

[bloom]

3. You could try this site:

http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/2005/05/meteor-missile-will-make-changes-to-accommodate-f35/index.php

Some "meteor" missle came up - but there might be other stuff.

or this one:

http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/news_archive.htm

[stellanoir]

8. thanks

I've clearly got to do some more research

[datadiva]

4. This one may help

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/deepimpact/main/index.html

[valis]

5. hi Stella!

:)

[stellanoir]

10. hi valis

:hi:

[evermind]

6. Technically, it's a "comet" not a meteorite... (article inside)

... a meteorite is a meteor that has struck the earth. A meteor is a body that enters the atmosphere and shows a visible trail. (just FYI)

Anyway, probably you're thinking of the story in this article, from The Independent (UK)

Close encounter with a comet set for Independence Day
By Steve Connor, Science Editor
09 June 2005

Scientists are preparing to shoot a comet with a self-guided copper missile travelling at 100 times the speed of a bullet.

The explosive encounter is set for 4 July - Independence Day in America- and it will be observed by astronomers around the world who hope it will shed light on the origin of the planets.

By firing a relatively large object into the icy interior of a comet, scientists hope to dig out and analyse the primordial material that was around when the solar system formed more than four billion years ago.

It has taken six months for the £140m Deep Impact probe to travel the 268 million miles from Earth to comet Tempel 1. It will take a further 24 hours for its missile to make the final trip from mother craft to the impact site. Comet Tempel 1 is nearly nine miles long and 2.5 miles wide and scientists insistits course around the Sun will remain unaltered in the collision with the half-ton bullet.

More at the article: http://news.independent.co.uk/world/science_technology/story.jsp?story=645333

I tend to agree as to the vandalistic nature of the enterprise, but I admit I'll also be keen to find out what they learn by it..

[stellanoir]

9. yeah I agree I'm very curious regarding the results

but the way in which it has been put forth just reeks of the predictable hubris. thanks for the clarification.

[Ready4Change]

7. I've no tin hat regarding this one.

(Edited, as I was mistaken about how long this mission has been in flight. My bad.)

Part of the idea here is to hit the comet with enough force that a large volume of it's interior material is flashed and ejected into space. When that happens, they can look it over with various instruments and determine what it's internal contents are like.

Lots of things that info can be fore.

- Good chance this object has been floating around since our solar system was formed. While material may have collected on its exterior since then, it's interior is likely a good representation of the stuff that eventually formed all the planets and the Sun. The raw materials for the Solar cake, so to speak.

- If we do eventually need to divert one of these from hitting Earth, or destroy it outright, knowing what it might be made of could be crucial information.

- If we start expanding our presence beyond our world, we may want to make use of resources like this. Is it mostly ice? Iron? Maybe other stuff? In what percentages?

Finally, from what I read, they don't think they'll make a hole all the way through like on a donut. More like taking a bite from an apple. However, they acknowledge that without good information on it's content, they can't rule out breaking the whole thing up, as it might just be something like a loosely packed snow ball.