Monday, October 28, 2013

…Or go the way of the Dinosaurs


Consider this a plea; one that I will continue to make from time to time until we have something in place that will ward off Asteroids. There is survey online that has me worried; it is not so much the results but the possible answers. The question?
 What should be done about threats from space? The possible answers (here is where it gets dicey)1) We need to take the issue much more seriously 2) We're handling the issue appropriately and 3) We have bigger issues to deal with here on Earth. 2 & 3 have me worried.


I have included some pictures. There is the proposed asteroid laser made up of three lasers that form the attack squad. Then there is the asteroid hunter - Osiris-Rex to be launched in 2017. Finally another concept, the asteroid bag. (Find a hunk of rock - 20-30 feet in diameter, send a robotic mission to capture it in a strong bag, and then redirect it. Oh, and take a sample or two!)



There are many blogs I wrote more than a year ago where I would attempt to take any fear out of the equation when I would write of an approaching Asteroid. Citing the infrequency or perhaps mentioning various technologies being looked at to protect us. Mostly because I didn’t want to be responsible for hysteria. Guess what? Get hysterical! Forget the infrequency, we’re more than due and I suspect there will be a rapid succession of asteroids. As to the technologies; NASA is working on it, so is the ESA, even JAXA (Japan’s space agency) is taking some action, but none of it means a thing until funding is given and the world works together on this. NO ONE should have a lack of concern. If an asteroid hits a country on the far side of the world, the resulting actions could affect us all. From Tsunamis if it either hits the coast or pushes land into the sea, to other disasters that react to the asteroid, to worst case a dust cloud the covers the earth and chokes plant and animal life which in turn will end us: we are a world community and in this particular case more than some of the others, what effects one will affect all, maybe not for weeks, but it will affect us all.

Astronaut Rusty Schweickart is doing his part to save the world. Rusty is perhaps best known for Apollo 9 or perhaps Skylab, but at present he and several other astronauts are doing their best to see that the world community does it’s best to save mankind. Timely in its presentation as this month we can expect the UN General Assembly to consider finding the solution in a more world-wide manner. A threatening space rock, 2013 TV135 has got everyone taking notice. Albeit, 19 years away kind of notice.

A recent article from a major news organization states that the UN has a plan and then details the plan. The plan is for a world-wide Asteroid warning system. And then what? They will sort out some sort of diversion plan. Why doesn’t that make me feel better?

  

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