NASA Asteroid Project

It could be that there is a deadline is because he wants them to work better and have a goal. I didnt get any sinister feeling from the article.

I think anything that has gotten them away from the shuttle project is good. The advantages of the moon are pretty good but im not so sure about peoples obsession with mars. Personnely i think this is more intresting, it’ll be a catalyst to develop superior space flight and how far we can go.

Also about the Helium-3 argument for the moon, im pretty sure deterium is as good as and very abundant.

[quote]Goodfellow wrote:

[quote]TheBodyGuard wrote:

But continuing your point, what is so damn remarkable about landing on an asteroid? Furthermore, we already know what they are and their constitution. So, what is there to learn? [/quote]

To find ways to stop them from colliding with Earth.[/quote]

Uh, that was the point of my OP to begin with, which he apparently dismissed. Comprehension fail sir :slight_smile:

Scientifically, an asteroid is a remnant from the birth of the solar system, offering clues about how our planetary system began. Logistically, NASA wants to go to Mars, but that is distant and more difficult. So the argument is that going to an asteroid is a better testing ground than returning to the moon.

^from the article

I think the problems with a Mars landing is; first getting people out that far, then being able to leave Mars. Where as an asteroid doesn’t have the gravity that Mars does so it could be a good stepping stone as far as getting people out that far first. Just a thought.

Not sure about the conspiracy about an a future collision though. Maybe.

Also I think that the majority of Asteroids are in between Mars and Jupiter but not all, some are closer to earth I think.

[quote]TheBodyGuard wrote:

[quote]Goodfellow wrote:

[quote]TheBodyGuard wrote:

But continuing your point, what is so damn remarkable about landing on an asteroid? Furthermore, we already know what they are and their constitution. So, what is there to learn? [/quote]

To find ways to stop them from colliding with Earth.[/quote]

Uh, that was the point of my OP to begin with, which he apparently dismissed. Comprehension fail sir :)[/quote]

There is a small possibility there could be cellular life on the asteroid, there is a theory that life on earth came from an asteroid that hit earth.

[quote]Swolegasm wrote:

[quote]TheBodyGuard wrote:

[quote]Goodfellow wrote:

[quote]TheBodyGuard wrote:

But continuing your point, what is so damn remarkable about landing on an asteroid? Furthermore, we already know what they are and their constitution. So, what is there to learn? [/quote]

To find ways to stop them from colliding with Earth.[/quote]

Uh, that was the point of my OP to begin with, which he apparently dismissed. Comprehension fail sir :)[/quote]

There is a small possibility there could be cellular life on the asteroid, there is a theory that life on earth came from an asteroid that hit earth.

[/quote]

comet actually, which has the necessary water, etc.

[quote]TheBodyGuard wrote:

[quote]Goodfellow wrote:

[quote]TheBodyGuard wrote:

But continuing your point, what is so damn remarkable about landing on an asteroid? Furthermore, we already know what they are and their constitution. So, what is there to learn? [/quote]

To find ways to stop them from colliding with Earth.[/quote]

Uh, that was the point of my OP to begin with, which he apparently dismissed. Comprehension fail sir :)[/quote]

:frowning:

[quote]TheBodyGuard wrote:

I read this article today and let me first just say that I have no conspiracy theorist leanings whatsoever. None. I’m pretty pragmatic and analytical. That said, after reading this article, I just came away with the feeling that the government knows something we don’t.

First, this is a massive undertaking costing billions at a time when our economy is shit. Next, there are two references to Congress and Presidential imposed deadlines for completion of certain elements of the project. Parenthetically, we only know where less than 1% of the asteroids greater than 300 feet in diameter are located?! Finally, we know a collision between object from space (asteroid, comet, etc.)and earth is not a possibility, but an absolute certainty.

I just “dunno” but I walked away from this article feeling like it was a “cover story” to go deal with a known (and large enough to have our full attention) asteroid on a collision course with earth.

Anyone else get that vibe? Or is this NASA just farting around spending billions because their bored and we have money to spend?[/quote]

The good news: the article suggests that the project -for whatever reason- has to be completed by 2025. The US government has already refused funding for a relatively cheap early warning system, so if NASA has classified technology that allows them to detect space rocks 14 years away from a collision course, I doubt they’d allow their plans to make the news.

Now, the bad news:

Potential “civilization killers” have already hit the planet several times (luckily for us there was no civilization to destroy yet) , and left craters to prove it:

Anybody else feel extremely small?

Somewhat relatedly - check out the prologue to this recently-released drama, [i]Melancholia[/i].

The title refers to the massive, rogue planet which intersects Earth’s trajectory and in the last minute of the movie’s prologue linked below, well, it happens…

.

That was wonderfully done.

[quote]eeu743 wrote:
I didn’t read the article, but I bet they’ve already called Bruce Willis.[/quote]

Spoiler Alert!