skylive5 Posted February 8, 2011 Share Posted February 8, 2011 (edited) .....why in the heck are we worried about 2036? <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/20110206/sc_space/willapophidiaper dirtearthin2036nasarejectsrussianreport" target="_blank">http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/20110206/sc_...tsrussianreport</a> Seems to me that no one will be here to witness any kind of hit from that asteroid. Never understood worrying about something you aren't even going to be around for. ETA: In 2004, NASA scientists announced that there was a chance that Apophis, an asteroid larger than two football fields, could smash into Earth in 2029. A few additional observations and some number-crunching later, astronomers noted that the chance of the planet-killer hitting Earth in 2029 was nearly zilch. Now, reports out of Russia say that scientists there estimate Apophis will collide with Earth on April 13, 2036. These reports conflict on the probability of such a doomsday event, but the question remains: How scared should we be? “Technically, they’re correct, there is a chance in 2036 [that Apophis will hit Earth]," said Donald Yeomans, head of NASA’s Near-Earth Object Program Office. However, that chance is just 1-in-250,000, Yeomans said. The Russian scientists are basing their predictions of a collision on the chance that the 900-foot-long (270 meters) Apophis will travel through what’s called a gravitational keyhole as it passes by Earth in 2029. The gravitational keyhole they mention is a precise region in space, only slightly larger than the asteroid itself, in which the effect of Earth's gravity is such that it could tweak Apophis' path. “The situation is that in 2029, April 13, [Apophis] flies very close to the Earth, within five Earth radii, so that will be quite an event, but we’ve already ruled out the possibility of it hitting at that time,” Yeomans told Life’s Little Mysteries. “On the other hand, if it goes through what we call a keyhole during that close Earth approach … then it will indeed be perturbed just right so that it will come back and smack Earth on April 13, 2036,” Yeomans said. The chances of the asteroid going through the keyhole, which is tiny compared to the asteroid, are “minuscule,” Yeomans added. The more likely scenario is this: Apophis will make a fairly close approach to Earth in late 2012 and early 2013, and will be extensively observed with ground-based optical telescopes and radar systems. If it seems to be heading on a destructive path, NASA will devise the scheme and machinery necessary to change the asteroid’s orbit, decreasing the probability of a collision in 2036 to zero, Yeomans said. There are several ways to change an asteroid’s orbit, the simplest of which is to run a spacecraft into the hurtling rock. This technology was used on July 4, 2005, when Deep Impact smashed into the comet Tempel 1. This story was provided by Life's Little Mysteries, a sister site of SPACE.com. Edited February 8, 2011 by skylive5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big John Posted February 8, 2011 Share Posted February 8, 2011 The Huddle filter affected the link Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skylive5 Posted February 8, 2011 Author Share Posted February 8, 2011 The Huddle filter affected the link *sigh* I have no idea how to fix that John...... The story is on the front page of Yahoo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big John Posted February 8, 2011 Share Posted February 8, 2011 *sigh* I have no idea how to fix that John...... Try this link: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-501465_162-20030674-501465.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
isleseeya Posted February 8, 2011 Share Posted February 8, 2011 I am quite sure we will be posting here in 2013 and onward Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skylive5 Posted February 8, 2011 Author Share Posted February 8, 2011 I am quite sure we will be posting here in 2013 and onward What do you know that the Mayans don't? Come on...give..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Avernus Posted February 8, 2011 Share Posted February 8, 2011 What do you know that the Mayans don't? Come on...give..... as I've said before...the Mayans knew things about the solar system and the earth that we don't even appear to know to this day and the Mayan calendar almost appears to be a countdown to when "something" will happen again....and history shows that with the former cities that are now under water along with the planets to all line up together some time in 2012, I would expect....something to happen... a lot of people lump this with Y2K and etc., but all that was is a computer glitch....I am convinced something big will happen in 2012, I just seriously have no idea what it is (like anyone else)...but I am starting to wonder... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ursa Majoris Posted February 8, 2011 Share Posted February 8, 2011 There's one of these every year. Must be a slow news day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Avernus Posted February 8, 2011 Share Posted February 8, 2011 There's one of these every year. Must be a slow news day. yeah, we're all going to die again...old news... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ursa Majoris Posted February 8, 2011 Share Posted February 8, 2011 yeah, we're all going to die again...old news... Get on the horn to Bruce Willis if you're worried. I'll worry about it when it hoves into view. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Avernus Posted February 8, 2011 Share Posted February 8, 2011 Get on the horn to Bruce Willis if you're worried. I'll worry about it when it hoves into view. I guess I should have added /sarcasm? eh, it happens.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cliaz Posted February 8, 2011 Share Posted February 8, 2011 If it is determined that we will be hit by that monster rock I want to go on record right now as saying 'It will be humanity's finest moment' We would be passing a unfathomable milestone in our species continuity. To prevent global extinction from an asteroid impact. Think about it, we would be expanding our ability to manipulate one's environment to adapt it for our needs in to local space. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redrumjuice Posted February 8, 2011 Share Posted February 8, 2011 If it is determined that we will be hit by that monster rock I want to go on record right now as saying 'It will be humanity's finest moment' We would be passing a unfathomable milestone in our species continuity. To prevent global extinction from an asteroid impact. Think about it, we would be expanding our ability to manipulate one's environment to adapt it for our needs in to local space. Wrong. We MUST ban the light bulb to stave off global warming! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muck Posted February 8, 2011 Share Posted February 8, 2011 What if it's going to slam into, say, China. Do we spend our hard earned money to protect them? Or, do we say f-it and say thank you for the debt forgiveness because they won't be there to cash the interest checks Geithner Jr. would be sending over? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Avernus Posted February 8, 2011 Share Posted February 8, 2011 What if it's going to slam into, say, China. Do we spend our hard earned money to protect them? Or, do we say f-it and say thank you for the debt forgiveness because they won't be there to cash the interest checks Geithner Jr. would be sending over? tell them it's Godzilla and they'll all re-locate and claim their stake in the US that they pretty much own... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cliaz Posted February 8, 2011 Share Posted February 8, 2011 Wrong. We MUST ban the light bulb to stave off global warming! Naturally But I still blame Oprah Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NAUgrad Posted February 8, 2011 Share Posted February 8, 2011 (edited) How about we play fantasy death. Which species dies first? I'll take the cockraoches with the #1 overall. They should survive the longest. Edited February 8, 2011 by NAUgrad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Avernus Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 How about we play fantasy death. Which species dies first? I'll take the cockraoches with the #1 overall. They should survive the longest. with the 2nd pick in the huddle fantasy death draft, Avernus selects - Rats out of raw sewage university......: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CowboysDiehard Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 They way the current project I'm assigned to is going, I'm PRAYING for the world to end in 2012! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SayItAintSoJoe Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 I think I have the Bird Flu Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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