Meteor

[Ishimaru]

It seemed to spark a interest for me. When I was watching the news most scientist were unaware that it was even coming and it was real close to hitting us. Not much of a topic but seeing how the original SDF launch date wasn't too far back..

Look I know it's completely fictional but hey it never hurts to believe.

[sidearmsalpha]

Wow! Didn't know about this. That's scary. They REALLY need to get more funding for that project to track all the nearby objects that are capable of causing some major impacts on earth. I hear only a few people in the world are working on this.

[one_klump]

every project "needs more funding", its just not going to happen, meteors are very low on the priority list for nearly every government. Ever watch Armageddon? Great popcorn flick, but one line stuck with me: "No offense, but its a big ass sky."

[Retracting Head Ter Ter]

If they found one coming on track to hit a major population centre but there was only like 10 hours to get everyone out. That'll be some major rioting.

[Lynx7725]

If they found one coming on track to hit a major population centre but there was only like 10 hours to get everyone out. That'll be some major rioting.

If there's one going to hit a population centre, and it's big enough to cause problems, it probably won't matter about getting out. Everyone on Earth should just bend over and grab their ankles, because it's gonna hurt...

[sketchley]

Given the size of these objects, their angle and speed of approach, and especially the limited amount of time between spotting the object and it passing (or worse, hitting!) the Earth, there may barely be enough time to determine the trajectory, let alone narrowing it down to hitting a specific continent or ocean!

Personally, I'm more worried about a micro-meteorite hitting an airplane that I'm flying in, than one of the larger ones hitting. The actual impact won't be too bad, but the subsequent explosive decompression can give one nightmares about flying.

[Lindem Herz]

Personally, I'm more worried about a micro-meteorite hitting an airplane that I'm flying in, than one of the larger ones hitting. The actual impact won't be too bad, but the subsequent explosive decompression can give one nightmares about flying.

Don't. Ever. Watch. Planetes. The first three minutes will give you nightmares for the rest of your life.

And the thing is that even a small 200m diameter meteor striking slowly at 17 km/s can be can devastating if it falls in the appropriate place. Try playing with the University of Arizona Impact Calculator, it can be quite sobering.

BTW, that slow 200m diameter porous rock meteor, yes, it would break up during atmospheric entry, would make a crater of 2.37 kms of diameter, a 5.9 Richter scale earthquake, and throw fragments as large as a 737 and a shockwave that would obliterate most stuff on its wave more than 5 km away, so if it fell on Manhattan or something it would be... interesting.

Edited March 5, 2009 by Lindem Herz

[taksraven]

Personally, I'm more worried about a micro-meteorite hitting an airplane that I'm flying in, than one of the larger ones hitting. The actual impact won't be too bad, but the subsequent explosive decompression can give one nightmares about flying.

I'm sure that you have a much greater chance of winning the lottery than that happening to you. Probably easier to get struck by lightning.

Taksraven

[Noyhauser]

every project "needs more funding", its just not going to happen, meteors are very low on the priority list for nearly every government. Ever watch Armageddon? Great popcorn flick, but one line stuck with me: "No offense, but its a big ass sky."

Well, the challenge is not that great as you might think. Since 1998, NASA has actively searched for Near-Earth Objects larger than one kilometer that pass into the inner solar system. In the past few years, Congress has already asked NASA to find 90% of all Near Earth Objects larger than 140 meters (in diameter), in the same region. Presently, its Spaceguard program will only reach 14% by 2020 and in pipeline efforts will probably push that to 30%. One study I read, recommended that an infrared satellite be placed into a Venus like orbit, as this would help NASA reach the 90% mark. The limited requirements can be covered by NASA grants, given the relatively moderate costs to launch such a program.

Edited March 5, 2009 by Noyhauser

[Morpheus]

I remember working for the Near-Earth-Object (NEO) assessment group back in 2001 when I was a delegate fro UN Space Generation Forum (SGF) in Vienna, our group was working on a proposal to detect and catalog all the NEOs that were coming to Earth including a Space Defense Initiative program, back then I was jokingly said that we need a Grand Cannon to stop all those asteroid , too bad the rest of the member never watch Macross or Robotech so their reaction was "What canyon?".

Nevertheless, our work was accepted by the committe and included in the 2001 Vienna Charter.

Edited March 6, 2009 by Morpheus

[anime52k8]

And the thing is that even a small 200m diameter meteor striking slowly at 17 km/s can be can devastating if it falls in the appropriate place. Try playing with the University of Arizona Impact Calculator, it can be quite sobering.

Is it wrong that the first thing I did after seeing the link was to punch in numbers to simulate the SDF-1's impact?

[Retracting Head Ter Ter]

Is it wrong that the first thing I did after seeing the link was to punch in numbers to simulate the SDF-1's impact?

What speed did the SDF impact at anyway?

[anime52k8]

What speed did the SDF impact at anyway?

I have no idea,

I figured out the approximate density and the diameter needed to equal an object of the SDF-1's mass the I went with it landed in sedimentary rock and just plugged in a couple best guess numbers for the angle of entry and velocity.

it always said that it should break up on entry, but it ended up having energy equal to between a 4.5 and 105 megaton bomb depending on valocity and angle. (I think lowest was 11km/s with a 30 degree angle, and the highest was 17km/s at a 45 degree angle)

:edit: post 1234, lol

Edited March 6, 2009 by anime52k8

[one_klump]

I'm sure that you have a much greater chance of winning the lottery than that happening to you. Probably easier to get struck by lightning.

Taksraven

So if I have already been struck by lightning, where does that leave me? (yes, was struck by lightning when I was 18)

[eugimon]

I have no idea,

I figured out the approximate density and the diameter needed to equal an object of the SDF-1's mass the I went with it landed in sedimentary rock and just plugged in a couple best guess numbers for the angle of entry and velocity.

it always said that it should break up on entry, but it ended up having energy equal to between a 4.5 and 105 megaton bomb depending on valocity and angle. (I think lowest was 11km/s with a 30 degree angle, and the highest was 17km/s at a 45 degree angle)

:edit: post 1234, lol

should probably do crystaline, since an island in the pacific is going to be volcanic in origin.

[eugimon]

So if I have already been struck by lightning, where does that leave me? (yes, was struck by lightning when I was 18)

It means you'll never win the lotto since you used up your luck already.

But damn! I've never met anyone hit by lightning, the closest was a college friend who was in a van when it got hit by a falling powerline.

[Gaijin]

It seemed to spark a interest for me. When I was watching the news most scientist were unaware that it was even coming and it was real close to hitting us. Not much of a topic but seeing how the original SDF launch date wasn't too far back..

Look I know it's completely fictional but hey it never hurts to believe.

You want a gigantic Alien ship to crash land here?

Besides....it's already happened.