Posted on 08/23/2008 12:41:41 PM PDT by Schnucki
AN Australian researcher has won an international prize for her plan to wrap a giant asteroid with reflective sheeting to stop it colliding with the earth and destroying all life. Such an impact would have the force of 110,000 Hiroshima atomic bombs if the asteroid, which actually exists, hits the planet in 2036, said Mary D'Souza, a PhD student with the University of Queensland's School of Engineering.
Far from being daunted by the prospect of global annihilation, Ms D'Souza went to work on a possible solution and took out the top prize in an international competition to find new ways of stopping asteroids from hitting Earth.
She beat entries from around the world in the Space Generation Advisory Council's Move An Asteroid 2008 competition and will travel to Glasgow at the end of September to present her plan at the International Astronautical Congress, the world's largest space conference.
Her proposal involves using enhanced solar radiation pressure to move the threatening asteroid off its path to Earth by wrapping it with Mylar film, "a step up from Kevlar", she said.
The solar reflecting material is already used on satellites. Satellites also could do the wrapping.
"I'm using a satellite that's orbiting the asteroid and the rotation of the asteroid itself to wrap this ribbon," Ms D'Souza said today.
"So it's kind of like it wraps as it rotates."
(Excerpt) Read more at news.com.au ...
Leftists have been wrapping their heads in tinfoil to save the world for years.
Darn! I don’t plan on being here anyway in 28 years!
How bout we just go wrap ALL the asteroids with soft, mushy stuff?
I don't see what the big deal is anyhow... That last asteroid killed all our dinosaurs. There's none left here to be susceptible to an asteroid hit.
And we know that all the other species here on earth somehow survived...
Or whatabout mining the thing? Put it into geosynchronous orbit, by using Space Tugs!
This asteroid will kill the last of the remaining dinosaur media.
This must be a Liberal.
What are the odds of the impact? .0001%?
What is cost of this project? 2 trillion?
What is the likeihood of its effectiveness? 5%
Of couse, suppose by trying to move the asteroid, we perturb it such that it ends up hitting Earth? On the plus side, an asteroid hit would surely solve the looming Medicare/Social Security crisis.
What, if it sees its reflection, it runs in the other direction?
--Aliens
“Or whatabout mining the thing? Put it into geosynchronous orbit, by using Space Tugs!”
Now come on, Candor7. You know the problem with this plan is that all space tugs belong to Balthor of the World Zephon. He has never allowed ANYONE to use his space tugs for anything. Need to come up with a better plan.
I can only imagine what THAT'S going to cost.
They should use Prep H. Asteroid, Hemorrhoid. What’s The difference. All these liberal chicken Little’s are just PIAâs.
Her time would have probably been better utilized making sandwiches and serving beer.
Something tells me that the very thing we should *not* do is wrap the asteroid in mylar. It sounds ruinously expensive. And anyway somebody is bound to get their sums wrong and then we’re guaranteed it will hit earth.
Never let a pointy-headed-intellectual anywhere near anything of a practical or important or dangerous nature.
Thanks for the heads up! Good to know I can stop bothering to build up my 401k!
HOW much Mylar, M’am?
I see. Do you want that billed by the yard, or by the pound?
Whh-—wha—Excuse me?!? Did you say RIBBON?
And you want it wound on a reel?
Spinning, or star drag?
Uh-huh. Yes, that comes stock with both a click-drag & a free-spool feature.
And should I include the optional level wind feature on your reel, or do you want it plain?
Ohhhhhhh-kay!
Now that we’ve cleared that up, would you like a nice casting rod to complete that outfit, M’am?
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