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Looks like we escaped armageddon....this time

But don't tell the grandchildren to head to the hills just yet. The odds of a collision are currently 1 in 10 million and could become even more remote with more refined calculations.

Eek! We have a better chance of getting hit by a sizeable rock which could cause mass destruction than we do have winning the lottery (in the UK the odds of winning 1st prize on the lottery are about 14 million to 1).
 
Nonetheless, astronomers maintain that constant surveillance is necessary to identify more killer rocks in our neighborhood and ensure that none take our planet by surprise, in particular those traveling near the blinding light of the sun.

OK, so do we put the Earth into some sort of evasive maneuver if one is going to hit us??
 


<< OK, so do we put the Earth into some sort of evasive maneuver if one is going to hit us?? >>



no, we just call up Bruce Willis 😉
 


<< But don't tell the grandchildren to head to the hills just yet. The odds of a collision are currently 1 in 10 million and could become even more remote with more refined calculations.

Eek! We have a better chance of getting hit by a sizeable rock which could cause mass destruction than we do have winning the lottery (in the UK the odds of winning 1st prize on the lottery are about 14 million to 1). >>


ROFLMAO!!

 
Don't you guys know anything? All you have to do is reverse the polarization of the missle defense shield and voila! Just show those mean chunks of space rock your Asteroid Shooting Shield.

Why do I always have to be the one to figure these things out?


🙂😉😛
 
All joking aside, this is a pretty serious issue. We have the technology to destroy these things--we should cough up the dough and begin work on an asteroid defense system before it's too late (i.e. NOW).

Sadly, the nature of humanity is such that if a threat is not immediately visible to us no action will be taken. Apparently the *illusion* of safety is enough for people--the *reality* is something nobody seems inclined to hear about (9/11 is an excellent example of that).
 


<< All joking aside, this is a pretty serious issue. We have the technology to destroy these things--we should cough up the dough and begin work on an asteroid defense system before it's too late (i.e. NOW).

Sadly, the nature of humanity is such that if a threat is not immediately visible to us no action will be taken. Apparently the *illusion* of safety is enough for people--the *reality* is something nobody seems inclined to hear about (9/11 is an excellent example of that). >>


Humankind has another problem: exaggerating the minor issue, while choosing to ignore the more important issue(s).

Spending billions of dollars on a missile shield which might or might not be used, or using the same money to come up with some good ways to deal with incoming space-'junk', which varies in size from a few millimeters to many kilometers and can wipe out a whole continent if we're 'lucky'.

The latter is a) much more likely to occur and b) will be much more devastating than any missile we can think off.

But I don't think that anyone will ever choose a president who makes use of common sense. Always those irrational Humans.... *sigh*
 
Astronomical blind spot? LOL - that's a funny way of putting "we weren't paying attention"

🙂

Oh, and that wouldn't cause armageddon, just wipe all life off the face of the planet.

nik
 


<< Astronomical blind spot? LOL - that's a funny way of putting "we weren't paying attention"

 >>



Or a even better way to say "We were paying attention, but it is a spot we cannot detect due to sun rays blocking the view to that particular region" 😛
If it comes from the direction of the sun, they cant see it, the suns light blinds their vision from that particular area.

 
Elledan:

Your point "a" is false. Point "b" is correct. I am disappointed that you did not give my A.S.S. idea the consideration it merits 😀
 


<< Elledan:

Your point "a" is false. Point "b" is correct. I am disappointed that you did not give my A.S.S. idea the consideration it merits 😀 >>


Point 'a' false? Funny, I always thought that so-called 'nukes' were meant solely to threaten other countries with, not to actually use them.

Besides, IF some 'rogue' country would fire a missile towards the US, they [the US] would have plenty of time to send a number of nukes back, literally wiping that country from the face of the earth. No government of any country would be that foolish.

The missile shield is unnecessary.
 
None of this matters as we could well be hit by a Gamma burst from a nearby star. A single Gamma Burst would hit with no warning and almost instantly the seas would boil, the earth would be engulfed in flame, and almost no life forms (certainly not us) would survive more than a millisecond.

Large Stars give off these Gamma Bursts quite often (relatively speaking). Some scientists theorize that this is why no covilizations have contacted us - Gamma Bursts wipe out any planet before any civilization can get too far.

So not only could this happen, but we could be due. 🙂


Sleep tight! 😉
 


<< None of this matters as we could well be hit by a Gamma burst from a nearby star. A single Gamma Burst would hit with no warning and almost instantly the seas would boil, the earth would be engulfed in flame, and almost no life forms (certainly not us) would survive more than a millisecond.

Large Stars give off these Gamma Bursts quite often (relatively speaking). Some scientists theorize that this is why no covilizations have contacted us - Gamma Bursts wipe out any planet before any civilization can get too far.

So not only could this happen, but we could be due. 🙂


Sleep tight! 😉 >>


Hey, at least we won't feel it!
 


<< Point 'a' false? Funny, I always thought that so-called 'nukes' were meant solely to threaten other countries with, not to actually use them. >>



A threat is useless if one does not have the strength to carry it out should the need arise. Threat with no will to back it up, is nothing but big words. Threat with determination to carry it out if needed is effective threat.
 
Optimus, I need that lead umbrella now

Elledan- You need to not be so literal and read between the lines. Of course A is more likely. How many cities have been destroyed by nukes? How many for comets etc? And I would think in 20 years, groups, not just governments will have first strike capability.
 


<<

<< Point 'a' false? Funny, I always thought that so-called 'nukes' were meant solely to threaten other countries with, not to actually use them. >>



A threat is useless if one does not have the strength to carry it out should the need arise. Threat with no will to back it up, is nothing but big words. Threat with determination to carry it out if needed is effective threat. >>


Yet it remains a threat.

Remember the Cold War? For many years the US and CCCP were threatening each other, yet neither of them ever fired a nuke towards the 'enemy'.

 


<< Large Stars give off these Gamma Bursts quite often (relatively speaking). Some scientists theorize that this is why no covilizations have contacted us - Gamma Bursts wipe out any planet before any civilization can get too far. >>


The reason we haven't been contacted by other covilizations (sic) is because them visiting the earth in the last 10,000 years or so is about as likely as getting hit by that asteroid.

We've only been here for so long. If there are advanced civilizations out there, they probably came and left thousands (millions?) of years ago before humans even existed. Bill Nye had a great episode about this. 😀
 


<< Remember the Cold War? For many years the US and CCCP were threatening each other, yet neither of them ever fired a nuke towards the 'enemy'. >>



And that's exactly because both sides knew that their enemy has the willpower to destroy them. Had either side thought that the other side wouldn't fire back, we wouldn't be here talking. Both sides were ready to destroy the other, that's what kept the peace (MAD-principle). Had one side lacked the will to back their threats up, they would have gone up in smoke.
 
What's another pisser is lets say one of these did hit. Would we know before it hit the ground or would it just be instant? I mean if one of these tiny guys hits, what are they gonna think it is? A nuke of course. I doubt they'll be listening to the US or China saying "nope not us, it was an asteroid!" Hope they'd take the time to figure out what happened before assuming the worst.
 


<<

<< Remember the Cold War? For many years the US and CCCP were threatening each other, yet neither of them ever fired a nuke towards the 'enemy'. >>



And that's exactly because both sides knew that their enemy has the willpower to destroy them. Had either side thought that the other side wouldn't fire back, we wouldn't be here talking. Both sides were ready to destroy the other, that's what kept the peace (MAD-principle). Had one side lacked the will to back their threats up, they would have gone up in smoke. >>


But are you implying that the US does not have the willpower to destroy who ever fires a nuke at them?
 
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