~ Doomsday Debate: Asteroid Threat Could Divide Society ~

`Imagine an asteroid were hurtling toward Earth, with a 1-in-1,000 chance of hitting the planet. How would humanity respond to the news, and is there anything we could do about it? A former NASA spacecraft navigator details `one possible scenario`........*How humanity responds to news of an asteroid threat would depend on the odds that the space rock would hit the planet, and how far in advance humans knew about the potential collision`

More:

​http://news.yahoo.com/doomsday-debate-asteroid-threat-could-divide-society-133118137.html


**************************
`Certainly...Interesting food for thought on "how" many would "react" (what they would do) if six months to a year was a time frame....

 

liberals would ban asteroids from landing on earth...and we would all be saved....

 

`Let just say all Parties are getting along and facing this bad scenario together... I feel information would be key for the regular citizen...the more the better...especially if there was a 50/50 chance of survival....`

 

here in calif we just had an earthquake last week...scientists said they can give us a early warning signal if we give them millions of dollars..they said we would get a warning of four seconds before the quake hits...four seconds..getting up out of a chair takes that long

 

*Little something extra....

`Neptune and 'Dodgeball' Asteroid Star in Webcasts Tonight: Watch Live`

`Armchair astronomers can enjoy a cosmic double play tonight (Aug. 29), with back-to-back webcasts featuring faraway Neptune and a close-flying asteroid.



The action starts at 8 p.m. EDT (midnight GMT Aug. 30), when the online Slooh Community Observatory will air a live four-hour show to mark an alignment of Neptune, Earth and the sun. Once that webcast ends at midnight EDT (0400 GMT), Slooh will cover "the flyby of near-Earth asteroid 2002 CU11" nicknamed "Dodgeball".... *because of its frequent close approaches to Earth. The webcasts, which will both feature views from a telescope in the Canary Islands off the west coast of Africa, are also available at Slooh's website, www.slooh.com.

http://news.yahoo.com/neptune-dodgeball-asteroid-star-webcasts-tonight-watch-live-124701140.html


**************************

`If you've ever wondered `how people would react` if a giant asteroid headed toward earth then read THE MYOSHI EFFECT. It's a very funny novel about the year 2020. The US is divided into Blue and Red America, there are 2 "US" presidents. Canada is set to invade America and a giant asteroid is about to wipe us out. Good stuff.`


http://myoshinovel.wordpress.com/

[video=youtube;q1yJIGC7h3I]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1yJIGC7h3I[/video]

 

I would keep working as normal, which it would be best if everyone did, otherwise miss or not we would have a mess

 

`Exactly...agree.......just do the best we can....keep on `movin`....let the scientist figure it out....regular citizens have no choice in the matter...but got a feeling it would still be a mess...`

 

Conservatives would deny the science and claim we needed more studies- right up until a week after the asteroid hit us.

 

The problem is not about asteroids we can detect [if we can detect they are going to cross Earth's orbit with a high probability of impact we can deviate them], the real problem is about "sleeping comets".

Comets are tremendous threats: overall the nomad big comets, if it's a long time they don't get close to a star, they can be totally covered by dark carbon substances, so invisible for our telescopes and when our sun will make such comet issue gasses [the queue] it could be a bit late to deviate it.

Anyway it would be a fantastic show in the sky [night and day sky] with a new giant comet appearing somewhere. Unfortunately that show would be probably the last one mankind will have occasion to admire.

But the probability of an impact on Earth of a nomad giant comet is remote: they usually come from the external part of the solar system and falling towards the internal part they usually meet Saturn's and / or Jupiter's gravity and they usually fall on one of those giant planets without reaching the rocky planets [Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars].

 

*Like I mentioned to the other person:

~ `Let just say all Parties are getting along and facing this bad scenario together... I feel information would be key for the regular citizen...the more the better...especially if there was a 50/50 chance of survival....` ~

 

You see, before of coming to the 50/50 chance scenario, I would underline that the decisive factor which would influence the behavior of the politicians would be the certainty of a certain impact [and which kind of impact].

If the space agency in cooperation with the military commands could grant to politicians that an impact can be avoided, I guess that the governments would pay astronomers to keep the matter reserved [an incoming asteroid is not visible only for military telescopes and military remote space scanners, also civil observatories and probes around the solar system would note it].

In case an impact would be certain [let's say that it's too late to deviate the asteroid, so that some missiles will be used to break it to make at least some parts take a different trajectory] the political authorities should take tremendous decisions.

The worse scenario is about an impact in the water, worse if in an ocean. This would cause not only a tremendous earthquake, the ejection of material into the atmosphere which would filter sun light for months [situation similar to a nuclear winter], but also a planetary devastating tsunami. In this scenario the politicians should decide between panic and some possibilities that coastal populations will find a way to evacuate to high lands without too many troubles [with the risk to have to manage a real invasion of inland regions by millions of escaping citizens without means of survival, imagine the organization of the aids for them!].

The "better" scenario is the one of an impact on a continent. This would not generate a planetary tsunami, but a tremendous earthquake with following "impact winter". In this case, the choice of the authority would be between sacrifice the population of the region of the impact or cause a real mass migration of desperate individuals running for their life. Let's think if the asteroid is to hit the Earth in Germany. Dozens of millions of persons would escape towards other lands, generating an incredible chaos with all the following problems. But saying nothing would mean to condemn to death those millions of persons.

So I guess that the authorities would make it public, assuring that they are ready to face the problem, to manage the mass migrations, the planetary tsunami and all the possible and the impossible. But panic would rule, anyway. It would be something astonishing to observe, no way.

 

Humorous; Obama would "study the issue, taking appropriate actions if needed", really hoping it would miss and take the credit.....

Seriously; When the Space program continues, after it's current purpose (Muslim Outreach), we will be able to determine a more exact figure on ETA, launch some form of divergence and in reality not even know of a problem until it's passed.

But, as the article explains, millions of people will die instantly or as a result of the aftermath, though I think we're talking billions of people within a couple/three months. With 7+ BILLION people now living on earth, where goods require transport and communication vital...it could be much worse.

 

Or levy a tax on them. But they wouldn't call it a tax..they'd call it a 'fee'. Entry fee. And seeing how the 'illegal asteroid' crossed our border (by entering our sovereign airspace) illegally, liberals would scurry about getting it on some welfare program and supplying it with food stamps. Not to mention, anyone proposing a way to deter the illegal asteroid would be labeled a 'racist'.

 

Granny wonderin' if it has anythin' to do with dem meteors dem space alines been flingin' at us?...

Big solar storm hitting Earth
Fri September 12, 2014 | Strong geomagnetic storm watch has been issued; Storm could impact power grid, satellites; Auroras are possible in northern latitudes

 

I imagine it would depend on the size and speed of the asteroid and how much time they have. If it's one that would cause a great deal of damage, but not be extinction level, I would think they would tell people so they could prehaps evacuate the area in danger once the asteroid is close enough to make that determination. But if it's extinction level, they probably wouldn't tell anyone. They would want the roads clear to evacuate top people to the salt mines or where ever they would send them. Not that it would work, but people feel they have to do something.

 

Uncle Ferd says it's dem space aliens flingin' explodin' rocks at us...

Fireball hurtles over Thailand
7 Sep 2015 | A large, bright fireball was seen streaking across the northern sky of Bangkok about 8.40am on Monday, leaving a trail of smoke, with sightings also reported in Korat and Kanchanaburi.

 

How long do we have to prepare? I imagine we could get a Mars trip up and running within a month if the survival of life in the universe depended on it. Then again - why would anyone work to construct it?

I say don't worry about what you cannot change. Enjoy the time you have left.

 

Cons would stick their fingers in their ears and go LaLaLaLaLa and claim it is not happening.

 

That or they would say that this is God's punishment for (take your pick):

Gay Marriage
Abortion
Miley Cyrus
Obama
Atheists
Not converting all Muslims to Christians
Gun control laws
Interracial marriage
Hillary Clinton
Saying Happy Holidays instead of Merry Christmas

 

I think the more interesting questions are what we are doing today and what SHOULD we be doing today.

We are increasing Earth's ability to detect asteroids. That's one good thing.

But, it's still the case that we would need many years, probably at least a decade or two warning in order to have a prayer of doing something about it.

 

If they find anything, righties will just deny it all as a liberal conspiracy. The earth would be doomed.

Therefore, there is no sense in even looking.

 

Well as a "rightie" I'm all for asteroid hunting. A stray asteroid hitting Earth or a solar flare knocking out our power grid are true existential threats and I support funding research and defensive measures to deal with those threats.

 

Oh please! You can't even get these people to wear a mask during a pandemic. They aren't going to take anything seriously. If anyone reports a killer asteroid is coming and we need to spend a $trillion, the righties would swear it is a government conspiracy and defeat any effort to respond.