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To: BenLurkin

NASA is not disagreeing with Musk.

They have just not identified a rock that will hit in the next 100 years.

NASA is ACTIVELY looking for rocks that might hit us.

And they are ACTIVELY thinking of means to prevent said rocks from hitting us.

Who writes this tripe ?!?


5 posted on 08/20/2019 5:25:23 PM PDT by Pikachu_Dad ("the media are selling you a line of soap)
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To: Pikachu_Dad

https://youtu.be/EZSCtgfmEO0


6 posted on 08/20/2019 5:33:09 PM PDT by Pikachu_Dad ("the media are selling you a line of soap)
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To: Pikachu_Dad

Agreed.

Also, an extra-solar object coming in from say, the direction of the Earth’s axis, would be a complete surprise until relatively close. (These are rare, but not unknown.)

Furthermore, while the odds of a “hit” are higher than the above, but still low, it would not take much of a nudge at all to slightly alter even a “big rock’s” orbit from, say, a “Earth-Moon distance miss” to “right between the eyes”. I don’t have the program to figure something like this out, but my guess is that if said “big rock” is 10 years out, and cohesive enough to not break up from the impact, a car sized object splashing it, or maybe even a near miss of it’s own, could disastrously (for us) alter “big rock’s” orbit. It might take a lot less of a “nudge”. I’d sure like to see such a simulation run for various size secondary objects and vectors...


8 posted on 08/20/2019 6:49:42 PM PDT by Paul R. (The Lib / Socialist goal: Total control of nothing left worth controlling.)
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To: Pikachu_Dad
I think solar sails might work. However, we would probably need faster and more maneuverable rockets.
9 posted on 08/20/2019 9:27:51 PM PDT by Crucial
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