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Asteroid makes near-miss fly-by

danarhea

danarhea

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An asteroid hurtled past the Earth on Friday in something of a cosmic near-miss, making its closest approach at about 1600 GMT.


The asteroid, estimated to be about 11m (36ft) in diameter, was first detected on Wednesday.
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It barely missed Earth, but if it had hit, it would not have caused that much damage. Still, it's something to think about. Maybe the next one will be much bigger, and it won't be a near miss.

What do I think? I think I'll have a Shiner Bock. LOL.
 
danarhea said:
It barely missed Earth, but if it had hit, it would not have caused that much damage. Still, it's something to think about. Maybe the next one will be much bigger, and it won't be a near miss.

What do I think? I think I'll have a Shiner Bock. LOL.
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I think it's one of those cases where ignorance is bliss. If I can't change something I'd rather not know about it until it happens. Like some gamma ray burst or some other apocolyptic event.
 
If the next one is 1000 ft. in diameter, hurtling towards Texas, will I receive enough early warning to move away from the impact zone?
 
Just a matter of time.

All in all, I'd rather not know. "Hey, what's that big thing up.............."
 
danarhea said:
It barely missed Earth, but if it had hit, it would not have caused that much damage. Still, it's something to think about. Maybe the next one will be much bigger, and it won't be a near miss.

What do I think? I think I'll have a Shiner Bock. LOL.
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Eat, drink, and be merry, as tomorrow you may be hit by an asteroid.

I seem to remember reading that, had the object that hit Jupiter a few years ago hit one of Earth's oceans instead, it would have created a tidal wave ten thousand meters high.

For the metrically challenged Americans, that's higher than Mount Everest.

But, not to worry. The dinosaurs were around for 60 thousand mllennia before an asteroid wiped them out, and humans have only been around about 200 or so. What are the odds? Hey, Danarea, pass me one of those Bock's, would you?
 
Asteroids large enough to cause significant damage are also more easily detected.

11m rock wont destroy more than whatever poor bastard's house it lands on.
 
Deuce said:
Asteroids large enough to cause significant damage are also more easily detected.

11m rock wont destroy more than whatever poor bastard's house it lands on.
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An 11 M rock is likely to break up and create a spectacular meteor shower. An 11 KM rock might be another matter.

Of course, not all asteroids are rocks. Some are made up of dirt and ice, kind of like the snowball that bully threw at you when you were in elementary school.
 
Dittohead not! said:
An 11 M rock is likely to break up and create a spectacular meteor shower. An 11 KM rock might be another matter.

Of course, not all asteroids are rocks. Some are made up of dirt and ice, kind of like the snowball that bully threw at you when you were in elementary school.
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I wanna make a space snowman!
 
Reason #147 we need a more advanced and extensive space program...
 
rocket88 said:
So we can send Bruce Willis and Ben Affleck up to save us.
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Much as I hate to admit it, Bruce is getting a little old. Better send Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson maybe... and have Bill Nye the Science Guy along to explain things to him...
 
Thunder said:
we can shoot it out of da sky, with a big lazer!!!!!!

:)
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Actually it would be better to divert an asteroid. If detected and intercepted early enough, a modest-size 'roid could be diverted by pushing it with a suitable rocket engine... a larger one could be diverted with a precisely placed nuke that would have much the same effect as a rocket, causing a reaction from the energy expended.

The current state of our space program probably could not manage it however.
 
put a nice size piece of junk next to it, will alter its trajectory..and make it smack into da moon instead.

:)
 
Thunder said:
put a nice size piece of junk next to it, will alter its trajectory..and make it smack into da moon instead.

:)
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Bad idea, it might hit the Newt Gingrich Memorial Moonbase.
 
Thunder said:
will Dr. Evul & mini-Me be there?

;)
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Well of course. That's the whole purpose of the Newt Gingrich Memorial Moonbase.... to give his ally Dr Evul somewhere to plot his next caper...
 
Goshin said:
Well of course. That's the whole purpose of the Newt Gingrich Memorial Moonbase.... to give his ally Dr Evul somewhere to plot his next caper...
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why is it the Newt "memorial" moonbase?

is Newt going somewhere? does he plan on entering another dimension of space & time?
 
Thunder said:
why is it the Newt "memorial" moonbase?

is Newt going somewhere? does he plan on entering another dimension of space & time?
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You never know.
 
Thunder said:
dude..it was a trick question!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Newt Gingrinch already lives in a parallel universe dimensional time & space...thingy.

:)
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Okay, you got me then.
 
Thunder said:
why is it the Newt "memorial" moonbase?

is Newt going somewhere? does he plan on entering another dimension of space & time?
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I thought that's where he came from. Is he going back?
 
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