Not as likely as a hurricane, but... Asteroids

[Live2Learn]

Saturday and Sunday were slow news days so some of us may not have heard the non-news:  Last weekend the earth experienced a "near miss" of only 50,000 by a big chunk of fast moving rock.  And we (earthlings) didn't even know it was coming until a few hours before it whizzed by.  Thank you Brazilian astronomers for noticing and recording the event!  See:  http://www.inquisitr.com/3467408/earth-narrowly-misses-being-hit-by-asteroid-discovered-only-hours-before-space-rock-zooms-past-planet/  Some of the reports I've see suggest it was about the size of the rock that blew up over Siberia about 100 years ago.  The equivalent of a 20 MT blast.  Maybe we might add that to our catalogue of disasters we should train for, along with 500 year floods, tsunamis, and earthquakes.

[Luis R. Ramos]

Silly me. I thought the US Air Force Space Agency was monitoring space for these things, as well as satellite debris.

Does this near miss means the USAF Space Agency will miss some of that debris...?

[THRAWN]

Silly me. I thought the US Air Force Space Agency was monitoring space for these things, as well as satellite debris.

Does this near miss means the USAF Space Agency will miss some of that debris...?

Space is big. Things get missed.

[THRAWN]

Saturday and Sunday were slow news days so some of us may not have heard the non-news:  Last weekend the earth experienced a "near miss" of only 50,000 by a big chunk of fast moving rock.  And we (earthlings) didn't even know it was coming until a few hours before it whizzed by.  Thank you Brazilian astronomers for noticing and recording the event!  See:  http://www.inquisitr.com/3467408/earth-narrowly-misses-being-hit-by-asteroid-discovered-only-hours-before-space-rock-zooms-past-planet/  Some of the reports I've see suggest it was about the size of the rock that blew up over Siberia about 100 years ago.  The equivalent of a 20 MT blast.  Maybe we might add that to our catalogue of disasters we should train for, along with 500 year floods, tsunamis, and earthquakes.

You forgot alien invasions, zombie apocalypses, Godzilla attacks, acid rain, instant climate change, sharknadoes, sinkholes, little Timmy getting trapped down to the well, magnetic polar inversion and tears in the fabric of spacetime....

[Al Sayre]

But, But, I thought we had the ARC net...

[Spam]

You forgot... Godzilla attacks, ....

[PHall]

Silly me. I thought the US Air Force Space Agency was monitoring space for these things, as well as satellite debris.

Does this near miss means the USAF Space Agency will miss some of that debris...?

They're looking for "space junk". They don't look for big frickin' rocks trying to kill us.

That's NASA and to an extent the NSF's gig.

[Live2Learn]

Silly me. I thought the US Air Force Space Agency was monitoring space for these things, as well as satellite debris.

Does this near miss means the USAF Space Agency will miss some of that debris...?

Space is big. Things get missed.

Let's see:  NASA tracks junk the size of a small 1960's VW bug, but not rocks 170' x 130'  It doesn't seem we're getting a good ROI with that agency.  Kudos to the Brazilians.  Not only did they detect a serious lack of honesty among our Gold plated swimmers, they found a rock that could kill a lot of people if it hit Spaceship Earth. 

You might look for green aliens, another worthy pursuit .  I'll be happy if NASA just watches out for great big rocks  :clap:.

[LSThiker]

Let's see:  NASA tracks junk the size of a small 1960's VW bug, but not rocks 170' x 130'  It doesn't seem we're getting a good ROI with that agency.  Kudos to the Brazilians.  Not only did they detect a serious lack of honesty among our Gold plated swimmers, they found a rock that could kill a lot of people if it hit Spaceship Earth. 

You might look for green aliens, another worthy pursuit .  I'll be happy if NASA just watches out for great big rocks  :clap:.

NASA tracks rocks 170' x 130', if they know about them.  They track roughly 13,500 items.  The problem is, they estimate that they have identified only 90-95% of near-Earth orbit asteroids 0.6 miles or larger.  They estimate only 25% of near Earth orbit asteroids 450 ft or wider have been detected.  It is difficult to detect smaller asteroids or even get 100%.  NASA's Near-Earth Orbit Program (NEO), let alone NASA, are sorely underfunded.  Remember, NASA's budget is 0.486% of the total US Budget (~$19 billion) and that still has to buy the ISS, Orion Space System, Mars rovers, satellites, and fund much needed research and pay for the salaries and benefits of the personnel, maintenance of the facilities, training of new astronauts, public outreach, etc.  To think of it different, take a $1 bill and cut 0.4% into its width, where does that get you?

to an extent the NSF's gig.

It is not the NSF's gig.  While the NSF's medical counterpart is the NIH, unlike them, the NSF does not conduct any scientific research.  They only fund grants that are scored high enough to meet to pay line.  They do not own any research labs, telescopes, or hire any research scientists.  Their mission is to keep the US on the cutting edge of science in all fields of science except medicine or biomedical research.  While they may view the NEO program as necessary, they are not tasked to keep funding such programs.  Therefore, they are not obligated to fund such endeavors.  Unfortunately, it too is an underfunded US agency with a budget of only $7.72 billion or ~0.16% of the total US budget.  They must stretch it over all fields of science and also help fund scientific public outreach for students and children.

[Live2Learn]

LSThiker:

Shoulda... woulda...  COULDA???  If only?  Maybe that's the point with chasin' space rocks.  I've read the Russians are pretty serious about it.  Then, I guess they have a relatively recent (1908) asteroid crater that's close and personal.

Chasin' space rocks would likely be a tough sell in congress (until one makes a big hole in the lower 48, that is).

[LSThiker]

Chasin' space rocks would likely be a tough sell in congress (until one makes a big hole in the lower 48, that is).

Scientific research is actually a tough sell to Congress, in general.  Unfortunately, Congress looks at the monetary gain from research.  That is, if the work does not produce a new product, a new diagnostic test that makes millions, prevent or cure a disease, or have an impact on the day-to-day life of lay persons, then it is essentially a waste of money.  Basic sciences research is vital to the development of clinical or application research.  It is difficult to get Congress or even the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology to recognize that, especially when very few members of Congress have any background in science or are even anti-science (i.e. Paul Broun--the guy that believes the Earth is 9,000 years old and said "All that stuff I was taught about evolution and embryology and the Big Bang Theory, all that is lies straight from the pit of Hell" or Todd Akin with his legitimate rape concept). 

Listen to Dr. deGrasse Tyson on his invited talk to the Senate Science Committee for a better and frankly more entertaining perspective: 
https://youtu.be/rmKlA_UnX8c

Pay attention to how many Senators are present at the committee meeting (about 2 or 3 Senators with a few staffers).

Since we are on it, I will post a few excellent videos of him:
We stopped dreaming Part 1:  https://youtu.be/CbIZU8cQWXc
We stopped dreaming Part 2:  https://youtu.be/BFO2usVjfQc

"We went to the moon and we discovered Earth"  --Neil deGrasse Tyson, PhD

[Spam]

Chasin' space rocks would likely be a tough sell in congress (until one makes a big hole in the lower 48, that is).

Scientific research is actually a tough sell to Congress, in general.  Unfortunately, Congress looks at the monetary gain from research.  That is, if the work does not produce a new product, a new diagnostic test that makes millions, prevent or cure a disease, or have an impact on the day-to-day life of lay persons, then it is essentially a waste of money.  Basic sciences research is vital to the development of clinical or application research.  It is difficult to get Congress or even the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology to recognize that, especially when very few members of Congress have any background in science or are even anti-science (i.e. Paul Broun--the guy that believes the Earth is 9,000 years old and said "All that stuff I was taught about evolution and embryology and the Big Bang Theory, all that is lies straight from the pit of Hell" or Todd Akin with his legitimate rape concept). 

Listen to Dr. deGrasse Tyson on his invited talk to the Senate Science Committee for a better and frankly more entertaining perspective: 
https://youtu.be/rmKlA_UnX8c

Pay attention to how many Senators are present at the committee meeting (about 2 or 3 Senators with a few staffers).

Since we are on it, I will post a few excellent videos of him:
We stopped dreaming Part 1:  https://youtu.be/CbIZU8cQWXc
We stopped dreaming Part 2:  https://youtu.be/BFO2usVjfQc

"We went to the moon and we discovered Earth"  --Neil deGrasse Tyson, PhD

Perhaps the issue with Tyson is that, while he's done a great deal to popularize science and has gained (and nourished) a strong "cult of personality" follower base who help to spread the message that science is fun and useful, he's unfortunately tainted his message with the scornful, inaccurate and downright insulting overlay of his political ideology, and that flows over into and colors the reception of his endorsements and recommendations to Congress.

He is (was?) a working astronomer, but at this point I would say his career has been subsumed in his role as a political ideologue, and entertainer and educator .

Fun thought: at one point decades ago, I actually got paid (very little!) to do observational astronomy (NSF grant on occulting binary star period measurement) and one night my research director commented on Carl Sagan humorously, to the effect: "Real working astronomers should be in the observatory, not on TV". Sagan, at least, could keep it focused on science. To lose that focus and inject political diatribe is to then lose the objectivity that science as a discipline demands - and to then lose your credibility with at least a segment of your audience, which then is a "mission fail", unfortunately.


V/R
Spam

[LSThiker]

Fun thought: at one point decades ago, I actually got paid (very little!) to do observational astronomy (NSF grant on occulting binary star period measurement) and one night my research director commented on Carl Sagan humorously, to the effect: "Real working astronomers should be in the observatory, not on TV". Sagan, at least, could keep it focused on science. To lose that focus and inject political diatribe is to then lose the objectivity that science as a discipline demands - and to then lose your credibility with at least a segment of your audience, which then is a "mission fail", unfortunately.

So basically the "No true Scotsman" argument.

Unfortunately, until you get the politics out of science, scientists have to inject "political diatribe".  His "scornful and insulting overlay" as you put it are because we have people like Paul Broun on the science committees, state legislatures introduce bills such as the Louisiana Science Education Act or "Academic Freedom Bills", state education boards like that of Texas, etc.

So no there is no issue with Dr. Tyson, only a self-perceived one.

[Spam]

I'm sorry, LST, I've inadvertently offended your religious beliefs, it seems, as a member of the church of Tyson.


When he speaks ex cathedra as a scientist on objective astronomical matters I remain very interested on what he might have to say on Earth crossing asteroids, solar activity, or other issues which might fall within his sphere of experience and expertise (assuming planetology as well as other sub disciplines are so). Less so when he pivots from those topics to start bashing people with leftist rhetoric, misquoting and mischaracterizing people for laughs, and so forth, at which point he becomes as relevant to purely rational debate as the emotional rants of any Hollywood leftist. Certainly he has a right to an opinion - as do you, as do I, as do the two congressmen you name, as well as the numerous other pols from the left side of the aisle who've issued some really brainless quotes over the years (which I'll refrain from naming) all based on subjective opinion and subject TO human error.


Since you will never change two things: 1. science as a field is filled with imperfect humans capable of error as well as human foibles (herd mentality, partisanship, etc.) and 2. science will therefore be filled with error, political disagreements and witch hunts, it would follow that you'll always have politicians in lab coats.


Of which, at times, Tyson is one.


V/R
Spam

[SarDragon]

Tick-tock. Tick-tock. Politics.

[LSThiker]

as a member of the church of Tyson.

Actually not a member of the church of Tyson; rather I am a member of the Star Cult under the Church of Dawkins.

Less so when he pivots from those topics to start bashing people with leftist rhetoric, misquoting and mischaracterizing people for laughs, and so forth, at which point he becomes as relevant to purely rational debate as the emotional rants of any Hollywood leftist.

I get it, he has offended your political and religious beliefs.

Of course politics will also be inside science as money will always be necessary.  Obviously, you will always have scientists that "inject political diatribe".  Unfortunately, what we do not need are politicians injecting scientific diatribe like so many unqualified do.

With that, sorry to have "inadvertently offended your religious beliefs, it seems, as a member of the church of" the right.

With that, 5.

Tick-tock. Tick-tock. Politics.

No need, I am moving on

[Spam]

Love you man. Lets keep agreeing where we can, and pass over the rest.

Asteroids scare me, actually, far, far more than this first east coast CONUS hurricane in 11 years or whatever.

Peace,
Spam

[THRAWN]

Love you man. Lets keep agreeing where we can, and pass over the rest.

Asteroids scare me, actually, far, far more than this first east coast CONUS hurricane in 11 years or whatever.

Peace,
Spam

Or the random earthquake in OK.