Scientists design spacecraft to save Earth

Scientists design spacecraft to save Earth

www.telegraph.co.uk

Heroic missions to stop life on Earth from being wiped out by an asteroid have become a favourite theme for Hollywood disaster films.

Now, a team of British engineers have designed a real-life spacecraft to save the world from destruction.
In 2004 an asteroid known as Apophis caused concern after it was calculated to pass alarmingly close to the Earth.

Projections of its path around the sun predicted it had a one in 37 chance of hitting the planet in 2029 – the highest threat in recorded history.

(visit the link for the full news article)

I believe that this is just to scare people. This is just daydreaming by scientists. If something is gonna protect us from meteorites it's anti-gravity. And why aren't there more initiatives to protect us from impacts? Is this just a scam in order to obtain more money for secret projects? They also have to find those that impose a threat 2o years in advance in order to have success.

www.telegraph.co.uk
(visit the link for the full news article)

Originally posted by Haunebu
I believe that this is just to scare people. This is just daydreaming by scientists. If something is gonna protect us from meteorites it's anti-gravity.

So you are going to pin your hopes of planetary survival on science fiction?

Good luck with that!

No us with our heads below the clouds and out feet on the ground welcome any and all realistic options on the table - the more the better in fact, I can't think of many better ways of spending the money this sort of thing requires... The gravity tractor is feasible, as is the idea of attaching solar sails to them.... Anti gravity? I don't even think star trek has that.

And any way moving things about in space is good practice - it has often been said that the first ever trillionaire will be the person who starts moving comets and asteroids, mining them with robots and having unmanned trucking missions to moons and various places to bring back all sorts of materials. Saving the planet from an asteroid and then mining it would look good on anyone's resume.

Antigravity? really I suppose you would rather take the stargate when you pop out to the shops, or is it the shuttle craft?

You only really need something that is going to provide a gentle push on the Asteroid... so long as you get to it with enough time to spare. We have the technology to do it now. All we really need is the will, which is hard to get when there is very little apparent payoff in the short term. Stopping asteroids that may hit Earth just isn't profitable!

IRM

Engineers design spacecraft.

Scientists, do not.



Sorry but it's important.

reply to post by Now_Then




Now then i suppose arthur c clarke never made a specific prediction in a story that then became reality did he?. (points finger)

Originally posted by C0bzz
Engineers design spacecraft.

Scientists, do not.

Sorry but it's important.

Engineers.. the noble semi-skilled laborers who execute the vision of those who think and dream... Hello, Umpa-lumpas of science...

And anti gravity? I guess the hope of the educational system is also a download mechanism similar to the Matrix?

reply to post by Haunebu

I'm surprised to see mainstream science and media taking this issue seriously. The timing of the announcement is a bit interesting. I mean, the idea of building a completely self-sustained human environment in space that could house thousands of people has been on the drawing boards for a long time. Same basic theme. But this asteroid collision idea has been getting some attention for a few years now, as mentioned in the article.

I would guess the intended message is more along the lines of "we're working on it" than "we are trying to scare you." But I could be off on that. I'd like to hear more about how they decide which stories to cover and which to overlook.

I don't want to put forward just her, but she was right until now:

Remember, this is pre-911!
-Cold War ---> Hoax
-Terrorism aka 911---> Hoax
-Diseases---> Hoax
-Meteorites---> Next Hoax
-Staged Alien Invasion---> Coming Up

So if this was american engineers designing this would yall be ridiculing them?

I suppose you wouldn't, you lot will be eating your words if these engineers manage to pull it off.

are we moving to mars if we get on it? its really about time we start thinking of stuff like this and making it happen just incase catastrophies strike.

Originally posted by InfaRedMan
Stopping asteroids that may hit Earth just isn't profitable!

IRM

Still, I'd consider coming back home from the stock market alive, a real winner


A

maybe they could stick an anchor in it and have a rocket/nuclear blast near objest.,(i know they wont burn in space without oxygen tanks) slowing its path to a stop. eventually sending it in the other direction. you could repeat with mulitple craft over the years.

[edit on 1-9-2009 by MR BOB]

[edit on 1-9-2009 by MR BOB]

reply to post by MR BOB


Hmmm who's gonna 'pay' (where will the money come from) for these crafts, rockets to 'save' earth?

Shouldn't money be spend on saving the ones who are starving / dying on Earth today?

What do you think is worth to BE saved ON earth?

I believe Earth itself is a very Powerful planet to restore itselves from dangers out of Space.

Maybe it's just time for a big clean-up on Earth and just like it has gone through ALL history .... only the rich and elite of Earth will have the possibilities to save their own darn as*e

I do think any initiative like this is good tho but it can only save a few .... and not necessarily those ones that are the best specimen to save



[edit on 9/1/2009 by Melyanna Tengwesta]

I believe there aren't any public initiatives for protecting us against space related problems, simply because the Star Wars system has been in place for decades now.

The ammount of weapons technology available to countries like Russia and the US is ridiculous, I'm sure they have plenty of laser type weapons and those sorts of things to deal with anything that comes our way.

That or they really can't do anything at all at this moment and there is no point.

~Keeper