http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/eu_russia_asteroid_encounter You have no idea how long I've been waiting for/predicting this would happen.
Apophis has little chance of actually colliding with the earth but it is still a good idea to come up with plans etc to deal with the threats ahead of time and even build things in the event should such a weird thing come about that would be more of a threat. I do think it's something we should be prepared for ahead of time because things can happen. We're just a medium sized planet in a vast sea of stars and asteroids etc.
I'm glad we're now spending money on something that's worth the money spent, even if we never use it.
You know, America is going to downplay the threat as much as possible if Russia takes action. There's no way that they're going to let the possible glory of averting an asteroid impact go to Russia.
Space Race, take two. o: Who wants to bet the US is going to start building things to do this as well?
Of course we will, which is what should happen anyway. As many people whine about space exploration etc being a 'waste of money', I think it's one of those things that is going to save humanity... especially if we can't get smart and cut down emissions and we keep having issues with over population here. I'd like to see people of varying nations work together but it's normal each is also going to do its own thing as they have been.
It will certainly be hampered by the influx of other nations. They will also have to catch up quickly, Russia has not only tested these rocket-propelled deflecting devices but solar mirrors designed with the same purpose.
Let's hope this will lead to greater co-operation between the major "space faring" nations. This ******ed space race business has stopped us from progressing anywhere near as far as we could have done if we worked together. I WANT TO BE ON MARS DAMNIT! But anyway, this is why I'm learning Russian. Being a cosmonaut seems so much cooler than being an astronaut.
The funny thing is, I've always thought trying to save the planet that we're on was a waste of money. I'm betting this is going to be another space race between Russia and America. Maybe we'll put some money into actually saving mankind instead of just the planet. And of course we know Russia and America will be fighting over this, we'll never learn to get along unless something drastic happens. Without the 'space race,' America wouldn't have been the first in space, and Russia would get the credit for that, and I doubt we'd have discovered anything new by working together. By fighting, we worked harder, thus forcing ourselves to learn as much as we could. We all pretty much know the same about space. I don't understand the point of trying to be on Mars. We can't survive on Mars, so what's the point of walking on it? If anything, I think that's a waste of money. We could be spending our time doing something useful, like trying to colonize another planet that will actually support life. Whether it's plants, animals, bugs, or humans that it supports, it would be a magnificent finding. Anyways, back to my main point; The space race was important, and I think Mars is a waste of time.
As long as they don't screw up and actually knock the asteroid into a course that'll collide with is, it's all good.
That would be highly unlikely, as the asteroid is more likely to go past the earth than actually hit it.
The space race may have been important in the beginning but now it is too expensive for any one nation to conceivably achieve on its own. As for Mars, it is very similar to Earth in many respects and is essential for the survival of mankind. But that's another topic for another time.
... We don't spend enough money on the space program. Spending money on the space program is better than wasting money on saving our planet! And what you said contradicts yourself. Spending millions on trying to land on Mars IS expensive, and it would also be a part of the space race, because Russia and Italy have been trying to find a way to land on another planet as well. The space program wouldn't be a waste of money if we stopped spending it to goof off on the moon. Landing on it in the Apollo 11 mission was fine, but I don't see the point of the others, and I doubt landing on Mars would be any different. We need to crack down hard on the program, and put our money into cosmologic research, and aerodynamics, that way, we could try to find something that's actually useful, such as life on another planet probably not in our galaxy, instead of trying to land on Mars.
Even with an increase of funding, I doubt we would be able to uncover completely confirmed suitable and habitable planets that easily; or even quick means to access them no less. Keep in mind the human race is still in its late stages of infancy in space exploration; a baby does not immediately go from crawling on all fours to driving a car. We still have very limited knowledge of Mars, and further discoveries may even allow us to at least consider that once thought-of desolate planet as a plausible safe haven for the human race in the case of a drastic problem. The landing on these other planets and satellites will not only help us develop theories as to the conditions and likelihood of other planets, but a sense of gaining experience of spacial exploration. We may even use the resources of these planets to allow human life on Earth to thrive enough so we may actually deal with the greater problems that face space exploration. Currently, we must deal with the problems in our own world before diverting full and unbroken attention to the space race; immediately diverting the majority of funds from necessary terrestrial sciences to astrophysics and orbital mechanics will not only slow our technological progress in other important fields, but force us to rely on something that is essentially still filled with mystery and unreliability. The funding will certainly help the technology necessary for dealing with space, but the various fields dealing with astronomy are still primarily composed up of human theorization which we cannot rush. All sciences are interconnected; even focusing on present sciences will allow us to develop technology that will make it much easier for space exploration.
Truth, I'm waiting for Hollywood to completely blow this out of proportion with one of their comedy movies, and/or some sort of funny music. That seems to be the next big thing with them.
I said expensive for any one nation on its own. If there was international co-operation (as opposed to, say, a space race) the cost per country and per capita would be much reduced thereby making a seemingly completely economically unfeasible mission possible.
They already are. Do you know, for example, how many different nations contribute to the construction of a single space shuttle?
Yes, in parts for the shuttle and by companies within the countries. I'm talking about major contributions between large nations resulting in missions 10 times more amazing than the moon landings. I mean, why go back there? What would that achieve? Saving the earth from a possible asteroid impact would be good, or landing on Mars for the first time in human history.
