[paraclete]

I think it's simply because we now have better tools to see into deep space.

Yes we can see into near space and spot these rocks, Deep space holds other perils, none of which we can affect, except perhaps the very stupid idea that we can contact alien civilisation with impunity. We are all agush at the prospect of finding earthlike planets, why? Because we can go there don't you know? Yes, I do know, and no, we can't, not in a very long time. We have to work out how to sustain an artificial environment and to increase velocity even beyond light speed, and of course, once you accelerate you have to be able to slow down. We are not talking about any technology we even have an inkling of, but first, we have to become politically mature and to be able to think beyond the next election cycle. First step, deal with space rocks

Look I know Star Trek and Stargate have solved these problems for us, imagination takes us where we cannot otherwise go

[tomder55]

You think the threat matrix has changed because we can see them ? The planet will get wacked again big time. That is an unavoidable fact .
Here is a 2 mile crater in Quebec .

http://eoimages.gsfc.nasa.gov/images...012300_lrg.jpg
Odale-Articles-Pingualuit - OttawaRasc

Yeah we should mine them... that is one of the big incentives to get private money into space exploration. But of course ,you think the government is the only game in town. I always thought the Aussies were more independent minded people .Guess not .

[paraclete]

You think the threat matrix has changed because we can see them ? The planet will get wacked again big time. That is an unavoidable fact .


Yeah we should mine them ... that is one of the big incentives to get private money into space exploration. But of course ,you think the governement is the only game in town. I always thought the Aussies were more independent minded people .Guess not .

Tom, we used to get malaria by being bitten by mosquitos, we discovered what was going on and dealt with the mosquitos. We don't need to sit around waiting for the next rock to fly into us.

You can only mine asteroids when you have the ability to get the product back to Earth. Mining them doesn't reduce the risk. Private money will get in there and do the job when and only when they can profit from it, until then the job of protecting Earth unfortunately rests with government, because only government has the resources, read money, to initiate a project of that magnitude. Now I know you are broke and crying poor over there, so I don't really think you have the vision to do anything useful just yet, but maybe you will find someone like JFK who has the vision to start up your space program again. I hope this isn't after the next meteor crater is created

Aussies are very independently minded people, this is why you and I rarely agree. Even though I am on the conservative side of Australian politics, it appears I am a long way left of your views. We see nation building as the job of government. Yanks have an ethos of every man for himself, aussies have an ethos of helping each other out

[paraclete]

Here we go again!

Interesting development, ahead of a small rock headed our way Saturday morning AEDT there has been a meteor strike/explosion in Russia, so do asteroids travel alone or do they have companions which might give rise to a swarm? Could we see more from what we have been told will be a benign event?

[tomder55]

Possibly . It is estimated that we have identified only about 1% of the threats. This small rock that hit Russia did a lot of damage .

Russia meteorite - chicagotribune.com

[speechlesstx]

That was pretty freaky right there...

UPDATE: 1,000 reported injured as meteorites hit Russia

[tomder55]

Взрыв Челябинск - YouTube

[paraclete]

That was pretty freaky right there...

UPDATE: 1,000 reported injured as meteorites hit Russia

the freaky part is it was without warning, everyone was looking the other way at a known asteroid. I take no comfort from the fact that these events happen once each hundred years or once each thousand years. Probability tells me that if it can happen it will eventually happen. We are now aware of two events in Russia within a century. Just one asteroid we know of passes by frequently and there are thousands of others we know of and it is likely thousands we don't know of. Now we are awake to the threat we should treat it as a matter of national importance

[tomder55]

[paraclete]

Well Tom the sky is literally falling and whether it happens once each hundred years or not, it is too frequent when it happens without warning. Ridiculing the facts gets you nowhere. If the two meteor events which have happened in the last century happened in the US you would take a much more active interest because; if ever there was a people who run around like chooks with their head cut off after the event, it is you lot, but let anyone suggest that an untoward event might happen and you don't want to know, negative vibes and all that

[tomder55]

Do you really think the event yesterday was preventable ? I get doing what's necessay to track objects like DA14 and find a way to divert them or destroy them before impact. But I'm not going to lose sleep over the possibility of a meteor strike taking me out... and I suggest you don't either . If it's my time ,it's my time.

[paraclete]

No Tom the question isn't whether I will get hurt in a meteor shower or meteor strike but whether we are prepared knowing that it will happen, If the Russians knew in advance, people could have been in shelter and fewer would have been injured and emergency services mobilised in advance. I don't understand why you don't see this as a desirable objective in the same way identifying asteroids is important, the one that flew by this morning was discovered by an amateur otherwise we wouldn't have known and there are thousands of such rocks. We are probably overdue for a meteor strike so there is some point to taking a closer look at the problem; Apophis we know about, but...

We spend enormous resources trying to predict serious weather events and zero on seeing much more serious events forthcoming

[smoothy]

We spend our money watching if they are going to fall on us... If Russia spent less money arming Syria and Iran... they could afford to watch their own skies.

[paraclete]

us = US when will you grow up

[tomder55]

We spend enormous resources trying to predict serious weather events and zero on seeing much more serious events forthcoming

and yet meteorologists do a snoopy dance on those rare occasions they get it right. There is a greater chance the NORKS will unleash one of their nukes and yet you show little concern about that.

[paraclete]

Because Tom I don't see the blusterinings of a oriential despot as a serious threat. They have developed nukes because they are afraid of you, after all you invaded their country once and their war with you devastated their country. You cannot isolate the Korean war from the thinking of North Korea. They are stuck in a 1950's time warp in their thinking just as you are stuck in a 1770's time warp

[speechlesstx]

Does Apophis have anything to do with snowmageddon? 18" here in Texas today... somewhere in there is my car.

[tomder55]

18 inches ;when you get that much accumulation you begin to talk about real snow.But that looks light and fluffy variety ;not the cement mix like we get here during a nor-easter

[speechlesstx]

18 inches ;when you get that much accumulation you begin to talk about real snow.But that looks light and fluffy variety ;not the cement mix like we get here during a nor-easter

Not this time, it was wet and thick. The difference here is it will probably be 60 degrees tomorrow.

[paraclete]

Does Apophis have anything to do with snowmageddon? 18" here in Texas today... somewhere in there is my car.

It could be a sign but no this is climate change, you know, that thing that isn't happening