Largest asteroid to come near Earth in 22 years

sarah · #1 (**permalink**) 27-01-2008, 12:46 PM

I hope it doesn't come any closer than that, or maybe they're not telling us! ......

Largest asteroid to come near Earth in 22 years - space - 24 January 2008 - New Scientist Space

sarah · #2 (**permalink**) 27-01-2008, 02:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arkangel

I've just spent a very pleasant hour taking part in the RSPB birdwatch survey. The nicest birds I saw were 6 long-tailed tits, new visitors to the garden.
Did anyone else take part? Ooops, slight error here, sorry Sarah

LOL .... no problem, think it's funny.

daveagle · #3 (**permalink**) 28-01-2008, 03:36 AM

i find it amusing that one scientist guarantees that there will be no hazardous collision with Earth until 2170-how can he guarantee something that has not happened and extend that same guarantee until the tail-end of the next century?-incredibly arrogant

Sarah-if there were something big and nasty out there on it's way to hit us, there is no way that we would be told because there is absolutely nothing we could do about it

just imagine the panic if you were to know that in one year the Earth were to be hit by an asteroid the size of Kent-does not bear thinking about

best to live in ignorance in such an event

dave

#4 (**permalink**) 28-01-2008, 10:53 AM

Better off not knowing I think, after all what can be done about that sort of thing happening.

labr_ollie · #5 (**permalink**) 28-01-2008, 11:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marnie

Better off not knowing I think, after all what can be done about that sort of thing happening.

What Marnie said.

daveagle · #6 (**permalink**) 29-01-2008, 05:16 AM

we are being attacked pretty much all of the time by small rocks, most of which are burnt up when hitting the Earth's atmosphere and those that get through hardly do any damage

however, if something that could seriously damage our planet were on it's way, why cause global panic when there is no way we have the means of avoiding collision!-remember, some of these things are enormous and travel up to 200000 miles an hour

-in other words, by the time it entered our atmosphere, a couple of seconds later, goodbye

dave

Tele · #7 (**permalink**) 03-02-2008, 05:28 PM

Quote:

Currently, NASA is hoping to turn up 90% of potentially hazardous asteroids larger than 1 kilometre wide by the end of 2008. But it says it does not have the funding to comply with a directive by the US Congress to find 90% of all space rocks down to 140 metres across. "If we could do that, then 99% of the risk associated with all near-Earth objects of all sizes would be retired"

Billions spent on knocking out long range missiles but no money for saving all life as we know it from huge chunks of rocks hurtling towards earth. It does happen and it will happen, the moons surface tells it all really