Asteroid, Headed Our Way

[Danny]

Humans live in a vast solar system where 2,000 feet seems a razor-thin distance.

Yet it's just wide enough to trigger concerns that an asteroid due to buzz Earth on April 13, 2029 may shift its orbit enough to return and strike the planet seven years later.

http://search.csmonitor.com/search_c...1s04-stss.html
There's a poll in this article

Scene: Starship USS Enterprise on mission to alter asteroid's course

Kirk: Captain's log, stardate 2029 - 0 - 4 - point - 12.
Our mission, to intercept Asteroid "99942 Apophis", nudge it off-course to avoid a disasterous impact on earth...

Chekov: "I think we're in a lot of trouble."
Kirk: "That's a great help Mr. Chekov. Bones?"
Bones: "Well I think Mr Chekov is right, we are in a lot of trouble."
Kirk: "Spock? And if you say we're in a lot of trouble..."
Spock: "We are."

Scotty: Captain! What do we do?

Kirk: Sulu, forward phasers?
Sulu: "Forward phasers locked and ready to fire sir."

Spock: "Without facts, the decision cannot be made logically. You must rely on your human intuition."

Kirk: Scotty, full power.
Scotty: Aye Captain.
Kirk: "Scotty. As good as your word."
Scotty: "Ay sir. The more they overtake the plumbing, the easier it is to stop up the drain."
Spock: "Fascinating!"
Bones: "Are you out of your Vulcan mind, do you know what Scotty's talking about?"

Kirk: Scotty, your background with the Glascow Rangers soccer club makes you ideal for solving this problem, I've decided that using phasers may jeopardize the ship. I want to beam you on to the asteroid and have you nudge it some, like say about half a mile or so....
Scotty: Aye, Sir. A bit like soccer hey captain? Except I'll be kicking an asteroid....

Computer: "Level please."
Scotty: "Tranporter room."
Computer: "Thankyou."
Scotty: "Up your shaft!"

[greg]

After the commercial:

Scotty: It didn't work! What do we do now?
sub-sergeant Tien: I've got an idea. Let's stick Spock's head out the window, and he can do a mind-meld with the asteriod as we go by and then pull it off course.
Bones: Great idea Tien. It's . . . it's . . . like a tractor beam.
Kirk: Make it so! (oops, wrong show)
Sub-sub corporal Greg: He needs a hat or it won't work.

[grumpy]

In 2036 I will be 89 years old, the age at which both of my parents died. I won't lose any sleep over this one. BTW I worked for NASA for many years.

[Danny]

Quote:

Originally Posted by grumpy In 2036 I will be 89 years old, the age at which both of my parents died. I won't lose any sleep over this one. BTW I worked for NASA for many years.

Good plan.

Wife and I were laying in bed last night thinking that we want the asteroid to hit us directly and pulverise us - save on cremation expenses - good way to go better than dying in your sleep even get to go out together. When I told her that last part she thought I was the sweetest most romantic guy ever...and well

DanTien

Kirk: What do you think Scotty?
Scotty: Well, Captain, I'm glad I took social security at age 62.

[maddythebeagle]

Havent you seen the movie Armageddon? We can just send Ben Afflack into space and he can nuke it. It will keep him from making any more "Gili's".

[Cal]

This won't work.

We need a plan that includes a red shirt getting killed so Bones can say "he's dead, Jim" and then whatever plan that is thought of in desperation AFTER that is sure to work!

[sgeeeee]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DanTien . . . Yet it's just wide enough to trigger concerns that an asteroid due to buzz Earth on April 13, 2029 may shift its orbit enough to return and strike the planet seven years later. . . .

Wow!!! This is really great news. Retirement planning will be so much easier when we all know the maximum length of retirement we have to plan for. No more looking at those cryptic longevity surveys or trying to figure out joint survivor options. No more worries about outliving your nest egg. Spend it all by 2036.

[malakito]

Note to self:

Task: File for extension on taxes
Start Date: January 1, 2036
Finish Date: April 15, 2036



malakito

[retire@40]

Quote:

Originally Posted by malakito Note to self: Task:* File for extension on taxes Start Date:* January 1, 2036 Finish Date:* April 15, 2036

Note to self:

Stop filing tax returns: 2034
Throw away all IRS notices: 2035-2036

[MJ]

Quote:

Originally Posted by retire@40 Note to self: Stop filing tax returns: 2034 Throw away all IRS notices: 2035-2036

2037: look for all IRS notices that were thrown away.

[wabmester]

We're doomed. Even if the asteroid misses us in 2036, the Year 2038 Bug will get us:

http://www.deepsky.com/~merovech/2038.html

[preben]

"Very funny Scotty.... Now beam down my clothes!"

[Danny]

Scientists may use John Deer tractor to tow asteroid away from earth collision.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/n...eroid_tug.html

[Jay_Gatsby]

Beam me up Scotty, there's no intelligent life down here...

[Daneboy]

Another asteroid flew bye bye early today just in case you didn't notice the woosh.

It was about 269,00 miles away and was only large enough to cause regional devastation - like completely destroy a couple states....

Some speculate 65 million years ago an asteroid destroyed the dinousaurs and brought about we mammals....

It's possible another huge direct hit will come in the next few million years and inquirying minds ask what life form would replace us

http://www.forbes.com/business/feeds...ap2856441.html

[bpp]

It seems alarming to me that it wasn't discovered until 2 years ago. Had it been on a more direct course, there wouldn't have been much time to do anything about it.