Asteroid threat

[Wicket]

I was surprised to read recently that the asteroid that allegedly wiped out the dinosaurs was travelling so fast and took such a relatively short time to reach earth.

 I can't remember the exact statistics but it made me realise that it's possible a large rock could come from nowhere and very quickly annihilate life on earth.

Sounds obvious I guess. Thing is why do we not spend money on having some sort of defence system in place? Shouldn't this be a top spending priority. Or is it that we simply couldn't do anything to alter the course of a rock the size of a large city?

[hsgreenb]

Thing is why do we not spend money on having some sort of defence system in place? Shouldn't this be a top spending priority. Or is it that we simply couldn't do anything to alter the course of a rock the size of a large city?

"Yeah, I remember this one. It's where the, uh, the coyote sat his ass down in a slingshot then he strapped himself to an Acme rocket. Is that - is that what we're doin' here?"

"Well, actually, we have a lot better rockets than the coyote."

[Old Mike]

There is an international program to identify asteroids that might be a danger. What there is not is a consensus on what to do about it if we find one. Knowing the military mind, I expect that we will try to nuke it.

[jack705]

"Asteroids Striking Theory" is fake production & baseless myth by "NASA" to get a huge amount of research fund from Congress to meet its "extravagant" so called scientific research..

[Wicket]

I saw an article in the Times - which I now annoyingly can't find - which said the asteroid that allegedly killed the dinosaurs took a week to get to earth and was travelling at huge speeds. It also hit the earth at a v high speed.

I am thinking that if another asteroid at that sort of size appeared we wouldn't have enough time to make a plan to deflect/blow up or similar?

Surely we should have a few concrete plans in place for that sort of scenario - do we?

[marriedguy]

I saw an article in the Times - which I now annoyingly can't find - which said the asteroid that allegedly killed the dinosaurs took a week to get to earth and was travelling at huge speeds. It also hit the earth at a v high speed.

Of course it was probably travelling through space for 300 million years until it got within a week's range right?

[scarbowl]

I saw an article in the Times - which I now annoyingly can't find - which said the asteroid that allegedly killed the dinosaurs took a week to get to earth and was travelling at huge speeds. It also hit the earth at a v high speed.

I am thinking that if another asteroid at that sort of size appeared we wouldn't have enough time to make a plan to deflect/blow up or similar?

Surely we should have a few concrete plans in place for that sort of scenario - do we?

It takes a huge effort just to get a relatively small rocket in space.  And we're talking here about a rather large object with a lot of force traveling at high speed.  The energy required to deflect it is likely beyond our means to mount.

And who is the "we" who should be developing a defence?  The UK, the USA, China?  We can barely run a space station together much less target and blow up an asteriod.

Hopeless cause.  If it happens then who cares?  So what if the entire earth is destroyed?  There is presumably life elsewhere in the universe.  It only matters if there's a lot of suffering because not everyone dies.