The New Intimacy

After the damage done in Russia by the Meteroite, should we be working on way to deflect meteors from hitting Earth?

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Contributor: Bignuf Bignuf
We spend millions on "global warming". We spend all kinds of money on defense from military threat. However, the small (very small) rock that flew in from space the other day, exploded (thankfully high up) with the force of 10 nuclear warheads. Had the explosion happened closer to the ground, the effects would have been far, far worse. Just ask the Dinosaurs.

So...should we be spending a bit more money on both deep space tracking and developing the technology for deflecting incoming threats from space? All it would take is a tiny "nudge" to send any object a few degrees "out of our way", if done early enough after detection.

Since these could be city or even total human kind destruction events, don't you think it worth the investment to have a chance at preventing the destruction?

What is your take?
02/17/2013
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Contributor: Ansley Ansley
As much as I feel for the people who were hurt by this event, I still feel like humans need to stop trying to "play God"; just because we can prevent it, doesn't necessarily mean we should.
02/17/2013
Contributor: <3BF <3BF
Science certainly has ways of tracking them and there are many options even for deflecting them (just do a Google search). Neil deGrasse Tyson gives an interview touching on this regarding the latest events. It boils down to funding. I think it's a travesty that NASA's budget has been cut but national opinion disagrees with me. Why aren't more people interested in exploring the final frontier, in discovering the mysteries of the cosmos around us, let alone safeguarding civilization itself? There are better ways to make cuts to the national budget than putting things like science and education on the back-burner.
02/17/2013
Contributor: <3BF <3BF
Quote:
Originally posted by Ansley
As much as I feel for the people who were hurt by this event, I still feel like humans need to stop trying to "play God"; just because we can prevent it, doesn't necessarily mean we should.
Stormy, I'm sorry, you were my first and most helpful mentor on Eden, but I fundamentally disagree with you on this one. Some people think when a surgeon gives someone a heart transplant that the doctor is playing God, others (myself included) just see the doctor as giving someone a new shot at life. If there is a God, why would he/she/it give humans the intellect to use science and technology to save life, do good, prevent destruction, and then forbid us to use it because death and life is supposed to be God's domain? Keeping asteroids from becoming meteorites and destroying lives seems to be as easy and sound an ethical decision as giving children the Polio vaccine.
02/17/2013
Contributor: RedKyuubi RedKyuubi
I do not think we need more. Stuff gets by. There are other more important things though
02/17/2013
Contributor: RonLee RonLee
Given how many other worthy projects and endeavors have not been undertaken because of a lack of funds.
NO!
02/17/2013
Contributor: Ansley Ansley
Quote:
Originally posted by <3BF
Stormy, I'm sorry, you were my first and most helpful mentor on Eden, but I fundamentally disagree with you on this one. Some people think when a surgeon gives someone a heart transplant that the doctor is playing God, others (myself included) ... more
You're more than welcome to disagree with me and if that changes your opinion of me, so be it. I'm not saying I would be reveling in the streets nor that I would be thrilled to see it happen. As for the surgeon/surgery analogy, well there's a substantial number of patients who only live for two to five years after a transplant and given the exorbitant cost, it's usually a life rife with bills, bill collectors, and judgments (actual court proceedings).

I've obviously removed the human element from the situation and am looking at it as a black/white situation. These are just my thoughts on paper. My biggest fear is that someone will be all "oh we can totally solve this problem - ooops, we accidentally disintegrated the entire UK, our bad. Sorry."

I was just reading an article today that said a meteorite slammed into Earth some millions of millions of years ago and created the Chesapeake Bay. I think that's extraordinary and can you imagine how life would be different in that area today had that never happened?
02/17/2013
Contributor: RonLee RonLee
Quote:
Originally posted by <3BF
Science certainly has ways of tracking them and there are many options even for deflecting them (just do a Google search). Neil deGrasse Tyson gives an interview touching on this regarding the latest events. It boils down to funding. I think ... more
I once read that the cost of funding a Hollywood Science Fiction Mars Movie far exceeded the funding of NASA. Perhaps the film makers could voluntarily help to fund NASA, I'd pay extra in my ticket price to ensure NASA could still operate.
02/17/2013
Contributor: Voir Voir
I really don't see the point in wasting money on something that has a less than 1% chance of happening.

Most things don't make it through our atmosphere without disintegrating.
What magical technology do you think they are going to use to 'blast things' in an alternate direction or off course from Earth?
They can't even reliably send shuttles into space every time without some fear of catastrophe on the way back in.

Global warming has nothing to do with meteorites and asteroids entering our atmosphere.

NASA could do far more productive things with more funding.

There is no proof dinosaurs were wiped out by falling rocks. That is all speculation.
02/17/2013
Contributor: Errant Venture Errant Venture
Quote:
Originally posted by Ansley
As much as I feel for the people who were hurt by this event, I still feel like humans need to stop trying to "play God"; just because we can prevent it, doesn't necessarily mean we should.
Sure we should.
02/18/2013
Contributor: Errant Venture Errant Venture
Quote:
Originally posted by Voir
I really don't see the point in wasting money on something that has a less than 1% chance of happening.

Most things don't make it through our atmosphere without disintegrating.
What magical technology do you think they are going to ... more
Science doesn't deal in proof. It deals in evidence. There is, actually, quite a bit of evidence for the K-T extinction event.
02/18/2013