K-T event did NOT wipe out dinos

[Minimalist]

Looks like someone agrees with E.P.

http://apnews.excite.com/article/200908 ... IEQO1.html

WASHINGTON (AP) - NASA is charged with spotting most of the asteroids that pose a threat to Earth but doesn't have the money to complete the job, a federal report says.

That's because even though Congress assigned the space agency that mission four years ago, it never gave NASA the money to build the necessary telescopes, according to the report released Wednesday by the National Academy of Sciences.

Specifically, the mission calls for NASA, by the year 2020, to locate 90 percent of the potentially deadly rocks hurtling through space. The agency says it's been able to complete about one-third of its assignment with the current telescope system.

Guess that's because tax cuts for the rich took priority back then.

[Rokcet Scientist]

Take heart: if the sky falls the rich will be just as dead as the poor. So there's no relative advantage to be had in finding and tracking those rocks. A futile exercise anyway, because what are we gonna do once we know all that and discover that big one coming? What are we going to do about that? ZILCH, of course.
So what would the net result of that foreknowledge be? Panic and havoc on an epic scale!
Not really productive, is it?

[Minimalist]

What have you got against a little panic?

[Rokcet Scientist]

[E.P. Grondine]

Hi Rokcet -

Nice image, but that is not what happens in a hyper velocity impact.
And not one where there is one large impactor.

What happened was that enough IR was thrown off from an impact plume rising to space above the impact point to set everything within line of sight on fire.

You can scale this for smaller impacts like the ones attempted to be shown. It's not simply pretty clouds on the horizon, as shown. It's vertical blast plumes for any impact over say 15% from horizontal.

While it's tough to size from the picture, but my guess for these would be around 15 megatons each.

This is followed by blast waves, which in this case would already have arrived, then a rain of molten rock and impactor, which has been carried up those plumes.

In the KT case, the molten rain was global.

By the way, did you see the latest spin (load of c**p) from NASA about their failure to reply to the George Brown Jr. amendment? They finally released the numbers they were supposed to have delivered in 2006, but sat on instead. Deliberate contempt of Congress by W's man Michael Griffin.

In addition, NASA purposely released their total number, $1 Billion, as though that were a one year expenditure, instead of spent over multiple years, and omitted to mention that their budget is around $16 billion per year, trying to claim that they did not have money for the job.

Why not build a really good space based detection system instead of wasting money flying a few men to Mars? It would be far cheaper than the $100 billion and more they want for that.

Here's a suggestion: read my book, then run mouth.

E.P. Grondine
Man and Impact in the Americas

[E.P. Grondine]

Looks like someone agrees with E.P.

http://apnews.excite.com/article/200908 ... IEQO1.html

WASHINGTON (AP) - NASA is charged with spotting most of the asteroids that pose a threat to Earth but doesn't have the money to complete the job, a federal report says.

That's because even though Congress assigned the space agency that mission four years ago, it never gave NASA the money to build the necessary telescopes, according to the report released Wednesday by the National Academy of Sciences.

Specifically, the mission calls for NASA, by the year 2020, to locate 90 percent of the potentially deadly rocks hurtling through space. The agency says it's been able to complete about one-third of its assignment with the current telescope system.

Guess that's because tax cuts for the rich took priority back then.

Actually, Min, its because W's own less than gifted Mars nut ran NASA. Think of it like the Iraq war, but in the space sector instead.

NASA had and has enough money. The true story is that Michael Griffin was told by the Congress to report to them in 2006 on how to do this, which instruction he ignored in a deliberate contempt of Congress, as he was busy trying to lock in NASA to Thiokol for manned launch with the Ares 1.

Which rocket is a dog. Result, $10s of billions wasted, and no manned launcher to replace the shuttle. Great job, Mikey.

When this scandal finally breaks, its going to be massive.

E.P. Grondine
Man and Impact in the Americas, and
Amazing Stories - a guide inside the lunatic fringe

[Minimalist]

You'll never get in trouble with me by denouncing the Bush administration, E.P.

[Rokcet Scientist]

Which rocket is a dog.

Hey! Watch it, Bro!
That is my territory!

[E.P. Grondine]

Hey! Watch it, Bro!
That is my territory!

You talking rockets or dogs, rokcet?

A few of my scoops (I broke these stories):

OS1 Lunar
http://www.astronautix.com/craft/os1lunar.htm

POLYUS
http://www.astronautix.com/craft/polyus.htm

MIR 2
http://www.astronautix.com/craft/miralyut.htm

CHINESE MANNED SPACE PROGRAM: BEHIND CLOSED DOORS
http://www.astronautix.com/articles/chidoors.htm
http://www.astronautix.com/craft/tsie1978.htm

LUNAR VARIANT KLIPER
http://www.astronautix.com/gallery/ckliper.htm

CHINA'S MOON PROJECT:
http://www.friends-partners.org/piperma ... 19800.html

[Rokcet Scientist]

Dreams are expensive.

[Rokcet Scientist]

Good news for E.P.?

British Company Takes Lead To Stop Asteroids
Monday August 31, 2009

Following the news of NASA's budget cuts impacting their ability to do things like watch the sky for asteroids, a British company has decided to create a "gravity tractor" ship that could divert asteroids away from Earth if the need should arise. Of course, a gravity tractor certainly isn't a new idea.
"Dr. Cordey said the company had worked with a number of space authorities on other methods of protecting the Earth from asteroids, but this one would be able to target a wider range. He said: 'We have done quite a lot of design work on this with the European Space Agency and we believe this would work just as well on a big solid iron asteroid as well as other types.' But the high cost implications mean that before the device could be made, it would have to be commissioned by a government or a group of governments working together.'

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8230138.stm
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn14414
http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/05 ... ccess.html

[E.P. Grondine]

Good news for E.P. would be more book sales and money - say a major publisher taking up
"Man and Impact in the Americas - you know, one with copy editors, graphic artists, distribution. (PM me for the archaeologica lower price special on signed copies)

A nice grant or award would be good news as well.

Or the sale of my guide inside the US Stupidity industry. (PM me for a free copy)

As far as this British effort goes, it is well intentioned, but that is about it. You need to find them 20 years before they hit to use anything like this, and the US detection budget is as near $0 dollars as NASA can get away with.

Good news for E.P. will be when the NASA Inspector General releases his report on former NASA Administrator Griffin's contempt of Congress, and all who contributed to that effort are fired.

By the way, Ken Tankersley and Sheriden Cave are on history channel again next week.

Also, the Earth will be in Comet Schwassmann-Wachmann 3's debris stream in 2022. Why don't you give NASA a call and find out what the hell they plan to do about it between now and then?

E.P. Grondine
Man and Impact in the Americas

[Rokcet Scientist]

[...] the Earth will be in Comet Schwassmann-Wachmann 3's debris stream in 2022. Why don't you give NASA a call and find out what the hell they plan to do about it between now and then?

They'll probably order a tonne of umbrellas from whatever's left of that budget.

[Digit]

Is Jupiter Earth's Cosmic Protector?
July 26, 2009

Could you explain RS why Jupiter is such a wonderful guardian when it's gravity well is equally capable of sling shoting the crap at us as well as away from us?

Roy.

[Minimalist]

Oh great, Dig. Now I have one MORE thing to worry about!