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NASA Penny-Pinching Is Too Risky!
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| Marc Summers |
| quote: | WASHINGTON - NASA officials say the space agency is capable of finding nearly all the asteroids that might pose a devastating hit to Earth, but there isn't enough money to pay for the task so it won't get done.
The cost to find at least 90 percent of the 20,000 potentially hazardous asteroids and comets by 2020 would be about $1 billion, according to a report NASA will release later this week. The report was previewed Monday at a Planetary Defense Conference in Washington.
Congress in 2005 asked NASA to come up with a plan to track most killer asteroids and propose how to deflect the potentially catastrophic ones.
"We know what to do, we just don't have the money," said Simon "Pete" Worden, director of NASA's Ames Research Center.
These are asteroids that are bigger than 460 feet in diameter — slightly smaller than the Superdome in New Orleans. They are a threat even if they don't hit Earth because if they explode while close enough — an event caused by heating in both the rock and the atmosphere — the devastation from the shockwaves is still immense. The explosion alone could have with the power of 100 million tons of dynamite, enough to devastate an entire state, such as Maryland, they said.
The agency is already tracking bigger objects, at least 3,300 feet in diameter, that could wipe out most life on Earth, much like what is theorized to have happened to dinosaurs 65 million years ago. But even that search, which has spotted 769 asteroids and comets — none of which is on course to hit Earth — is behind schedule. It's supposed to be complete by the end of next year.
NASA needs to do more to locate other smaller, but still potentially dangerous space bodies. While an Italian observatory is doing some work, the United States is the only government with an asteroid-tracking program, NASA said.
One solution would be to build a new ground telescope solely for the asteroid hunt, and piggyback that use with other agencies' telescopes for a total of $800 million. Another would be to launch a space infrared telescope that could do the job faster for $1.1 billion. But NASA program scientist Lindley Johnson said NASA and the White House called both those choices too costly.
A cheaper option would be to simply piggyback on other agencies' telescopes, a cost of about $300 million, also rejected, Johnson said.
"The decision of the agency is we just can't do anything about it right now," he added.
Earth got a scare in 2004, when initial readings suggested an 885-foot asteroid called 99942 Apophis seemed to have a chance of hitting Earth in 2029. But more observations showed that wouldn't happen. Scientists say there is a 1-in-45,000 chance that it could hit in 2036.
They think it would mostly likely strike the Pacific Ocean, which would cause a tsunami on the U.S. West Coast the size of the devastating 2004 Indian Ocean wave.
John Logsdon, space policy director at George Washington University, said a stepped-up search for such asteroids is needed.
"You can't deflect them if you can't find them," Logsdon said. "And we can't find things that can cause massive damage." |
SOURCE
C0r Version: NASA officials say the space agency is capable of finding nearly all the asteroids that might pose a devastating hit to Earth, but there isn't enough money to pay for the task so it won't get done.
Probably one of the most important Projects that NASA should be conducting (Beside finding life on other planets) isn't going to be conducted. It's a true shame. They'll be sorry when an asteroid kicks our ass. :mad: |
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| dj_bas |
| It's not really NASA's fault. They haven't really been that relevant since the 80s. Plus the government is too busy with a war to worry about funding NASA. It's a shame I'd say, not enough public/government interest in our space program :( |
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| Tony Morello |
gotta spend that money on a useless war
we'd rather fight each other than save life on earth |
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| Marc Summers |
| quote: | Originally posted by dj_bas
It's not really NASA's fault. They haven't really been that relevant since the 80s. Plus the government is too busy with a war to worry about funding NASA. It's a shame I'd say, not enough public/government interest in our space program :( |
I say dump all of the Mars missions. They are lame! |
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| dj_bas |
I say change the Mars missions! Who cares what the rocks are composed of, start building some god damn colonies already!!
Venus Wars here I come! |
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| Inconspicuous |
| quote: | Originally posted by Tony Morello
gotta spend that money on a useless war
we'd rather fight each other than save life on earth |
Or maybe we could stop building 450 million dollar bridges that lead to nothing. |
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| Trance Nutter |
I'm sorry, I just don't see the need to spend a billion dollars on something thats a pretty remote risk anyway.
Not saying what they spend money on currently is more important, and i spose its America where 1 billion isn't a huge amount. |
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| Marc Summers |
| quote: | Originally posted by Trance Nutter
I'm sorry, I just don't see the need to spend a billion dollars on something thats a pretty remote risk anyway.
Not saying what they spend money on currently is more important, and i spose its America where 1 billion isn't a huge amount. |
Earth gets hit with objects from space all the time, I'd say it's a matter of time before the big one comes. |
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| Inconspicuous |
| quote: | Originally posted by Trance Nutter
I'm sorry, I just don't see the need to spend a billion dollars on something thats a pretty remote risk anyway.
Not saying what they spend money on currently is more important, and i spose its America where 1 billion isn't a huge amount. |
From that site above...just found from looking around:
Bill? Health and Human Services (109-HR5647)
Where? Warren, AR
How much? $ 250,000
To whom? Arkansas Alliance of YMCAs for programs in the cities of Pine Bluff, Warren and Hot Springs to reduce childhood obesity |
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| Trance Nutter |
$250,000 is 1/4000 of $1 billion.
Childhood obesity is a bigger problem than the miniscule risk of an asteroid. (although it could be easy to fix if the fatties went for a run) |
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| Inconspicuous |
| quote: | Originally posted by Trance Nutter
$250,000 is 1/4000 of $1 billion.
Childhood obesity is a bigger problem than the miniscule risk of an asteroid. (although it could be easy to fix if the fatties went for a run) |
Yes, it is, but considering the fact that all the information needed to pass something like that is just "to reduce childhood obesity," I'd say it's pretty ludicrous. There are a half billion dollars of earmarks for the next year, and a big chunk of that is going straight into politicians pockets--politicians who do not even have to sign their names to the bills they put up for vote in congress. They can anonymously request a half million dollars for a park without even having to say "I'm the one who came up with this bill." It's the epitome of the "I scratch your back, you scratch mine" mentality.
also, I'm not suggesting that we should or shouldn't go find asteroids--just saying that when we're spending billions of dollars on nonsense like useless bridges & ambiguously described programs and people complain about there not being enough money for something, it's a good place to start. The war's a political issue--people fall on different sides of it. I'd hardly say it's a political issue as to whether we should be handing politicians millions (if not billions) of dollars in kick-backs. |
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