The Social Difficulty of Saving Earth From an Asteroid 391
mantis2009 writes "When it comes to stopping a cataclysmic Earth vs. asteroid event, social science and international political leaders have more difficult questions yet unanswered than physicists do, according to report delivered at this week's American Geophysical Union meeting. Wired has a discussion of an analysis authored by former astronaut Rusty Schweickart, who worries that the international community is nowhere near ready to begin the complex and inevitably controversial task of deflecting an asteroid on a collision course with Earth. Among the questions to be answered is whether to modify the Partial Test Ban Treaty to allow nuclear weapons in outer space. Another possibility to avoid the destruction of civilization would require the international community to choose an area on the globe where an asteroid might be 'aimed.' Who would decide which nations get placed in the asteroid's crosshairs?"
Simpsons did it... (Score:5, Funny)
What's your least favorite country: Italy or France?
Sir! (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Not ready? No, and never will be. (Score:3, Funny)
As a teen I read lots of sci-fi, but then I grew up.
Thanks for clarifying that you are able to age. I was wondering whether or not to rule out this syndrome [whatdoesitmean.com].
Re:Simpsons did it... (Score:3, Funny)
And the target is.... (Score:5, Funny)
-Can't be USA -- I'm writing this from there.
-Can't be Antartica -- We all love them Penguins
-Can't be the Artic -- Ditto for the polar bears
-Can't be France -- too obvious
-Can't be the Middle East -- Our oil comes from there.
-Can't be China -- We'd all die from the toxic dust cloud stirred up from the impact.
So, that pretty much leaves:
Quebec
I mean, sure, we all love Canada. Great comedy, good place for NFL up-and-coming players to practice (CFL for those who don't get it), and also home to many polar bears (See Antartic above).
But face it: even CANADA doesn't like Quebec!
I mean, what do they have? Good baseball? Nope. Good football team? Nope. Good comedy? Do Quebecois even HAVE comedy?
And best of all:
Quebec doesn't have UN veto power.
Problem solved!
Re:Simpsons did it... (Score:4, Funny)
Re:An ocean? Antartica? (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Simpsons did it... (Score:4, Funny)
As long as the Americans are in charge, there's an 80% chance the asteroid'll land smack in the middle of Vienna.
Re:An ocean? Antartica? (Score:5, Funny)
Antarctica? That'd be one hell of a curve shot to whip it underneath the Earth and up! Don't you know from all of those SciFi shows that asteroids come in perfectly horizontal and that the whole universe is like a plate. That's why ships can't avoid each other by flying higher or on a different plane - because there is only one plane that everything flies along!
yes (Score:1, Funny)
Re:Simpsons did it... (Score:3, Funny)
Makes me think "What's the most famous w(h)ine from Australia"...
"It's too f**king hot mate".
Re:A few years notice? (Score:1, Funny)
Well in the Uk Live near the Pennines and watch your house price soar - sod London let it drown.
at the axes of evil! (Score:3, Funny)
Cartesian coordinates (0,0) on the axes of evil of course.
Re:Simpsons did it... (Score:1, Funny)
AIM IT AT WALL STREET!!!
Re:Simpsons did it... (Score:3, Funny)
The trick is to find the asteroid that would hit earth in time
I doubt this is a problem. I'm sure we can deflect some asteroids so they'll hit Earth. That neatly deals with your problem here. Then we can deflect them back to their original trajectory and save the world!
Re:Pah, aim it at the US (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Not ready? No, and never will be. (Score:3, Funny)
Not if you put a heavy lid on the saucepan.
Re:Not ready? No, and never will be. (Score:3, Funny)
Even as a 13-year-old I was highly skeptical of those stories, not because of the technology or the distances or any of the practical difficulties, but because I knew that politics would never function to the point where a decision could have been reached, let alone acted upon.
That's not skepticism, that's cynicism. And if you thought that way when you were 13, you must have had a horrible childhood.