for REW

[Midpack]

Plan to Capture an Asteroid? | Mother Jones

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Tucked inside...federal budget for next fiscal year is about $100 million...towards humans establishing a permanent settlement in space. In a nutshell, the plan in NASA's hands calls for catching an asteroid with a robotic spacecraft and towing it back toward Earth, where it would then be placed in a stable orbit around the moon.

Maybe we can scratch off an asteroid strike as an investment risk? Or even add it as a positive investment opportunity?

This thread is just for the fun of it!

[gerrym51]

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Originally Posted by Midpack Plan to Capture an Asteroid? | Mother Jones Maybe we can scratch off an asteroid strike as an investment risk? Or even add it as a positive investment opportunity? This thread is just for the fun of it!

amazing-we can't balance the budget but we are going to capture asteroids

[REWahoo]

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Originally Posted by Midpack Plan to Capture an Asteroid? | Mother Jones Maybe we can scratch off an asteroid strike as an investment risk?

Lemme see if I unnerstan...

Catching one (1) will eliminate the risk of us getting struck on the head portfolio by an asteroid? What about the other estimated 999,999 out there?

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There are an estimated million of these near-Earth asteroids longer than 100 meters, or about 300 feet.

Stanford professor wants to find asteroids that threaten Earth

[growing_older]

I think part of the goal is to learn how to catch one, since we don't have the technology to do it now. Also, if we could catch them, there could be significant applications of the methods to stopping a future space rock from squashing us. Not that the first one we catch is dangerous, but we'll want to know how in case we do see a dangerous one.

Also, if we choose well, an asteroid could contain a real wealth of valuable minerals. That's another technology that needs developing - how to effectively mine an asteroid and get the stuff back to earth (or use it in space) for less than it costs to mine it. A few intrepid private companies are even wanting in on that idea.

[MichaelB]

Well, once we figure out how to deal with asteroid collision we have to move on to the next big risk. Zombie uprising. What advice there? At a minimum, everyone needs on of these CROVEL ATTACK PACK - Gear Up Center

[Midpack]

Wonder how you catch them actually? I'm told the one that recently fell in Russia was huge (49 ft diameter, 10,000 tons, scientists said -- approximately as much as 170 M1 Abrams tanks) and yet mostly broke up into very small pieces before it hit the ground.



Yes, I realize you'd have to catch it out in space and not in earth's atmosphere...play along.

[REWahoo]

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Originally Posted by MichaelB Well, once we figure out how to deal with asteroid collision we have to move on to the next big risk. Zombie uprising. What advice there? At a minimum, everyone needs on of these CROVEL ATTACK PACK - Gear Up Center

One disaster at a time, please. You don't want to be labeled as a gloom & doomer do you?

[Midpack]

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Originally Posted by MichaelB Well, once we figure out how to deal with asteroid collision we have to move on to the next big risk. Zombie uprising. What advice there? At a minimum, everyone needs on of these CROVEL ATTACK PACK - Gear Up Center

Wow, I've been told I'm pretty good at online search, but I'd never have found that...

[MichaelB]

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Originally Posted by REWahoo One disaster at a time, please. You don't want to be labeled as a gloom & doomer do you?

You just say that because you don't have an answer to the zombie uprising. I'd think living in Texas would give you an edge ...

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Originally Posted by Midpack Wonder how you catch them actually? Yes, I realize you'd have to catch it out in space and not in earth's atmosphere...play along.

No play needed.

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Nasa's audacious plan to catch an asteroid in a giant draw-string BAG and drag it back to Earth U.S. space agency reportedly set to ask for $100million to begin the project White House wants astronauts to carry out tests on asteroid by 2025 Read more: Nasa's audacious plan to catch an asteroid in a giant draw-string bag and drag it back to Earth | Mail Online

[Midpack]

Rut-row, from the Mail Online link above.

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The U.S. space agency is set to ask Congress for $100million in its next budget request to start planning the project, which could be the next target for human spaceflight. The mission, first suggested last year by space experts at the California Institute of Technology, would aim to pluck a 500-ton asteroid from its orbit using an unmanned spacecraft, then haul it into orbit near the Moon. Projected to cost $2.65billion in total and last ten years, the project is said to have found favour with the administration, which has already announced a goal of sending astronauts to a near-Earth asteroid by 2025. Huh?

[MichaelB]

Check the date

[growing_older]

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Wonder how you catch them actually?

U.S. Route 40 - World's Largest Baseball Glove and Coca-Cola Bottle

[Midpack]

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Originally Posted by MichaelB Check the date

Jeeeeeeeeeez, "fool me twice (a year), shame on me..."

[heeyy_joe]

Now. can we finally focus on the new ETF offering: Emerging Zombies

[freebird5825]

One of the few games I own for my PS3...I propose that we all chip in and get it for REW as a birthday present.

Super Stardust

[Tyro]

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Originally Posted by Midpack Wonder how you catch them actually?

Like this...

[Tyro]

The tip-off for me was the size. 500 tons isn't nearly big enough for anything practical. Orbiting the moon might not be the best location either; I don't know if an asteroid of any decent size would have any effect on tides & such. A better location might be a Lagrange point --most likely L4 or L5 where gravitational equilibrium could be maintained, and more economical to access despite the greater distance from the earth.

For mining purposes, an asteroid from another system -- preferably a product of a supernova -- would be more interesting composition-wise, but beggars can't be choosers I spoze....

Tyro

[obgyn65]

The emergence of a new mutated deadly virus and resulting pandemic is more likely to kill millions, IMO.

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Originally Posted by Midpack Plan to Capture an Asteroid? | Mother Jones Maybe we can scratch off an asteroid strike as an investment risk?

[braumeister]

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Originally Posted by Midpack the one that recently fell in Russia was huge (49 ft diameter, 10,000 tons, scientists said -- approximately as much as 170 M1 Abrams tanks)

These comparisons can sometimes be tricky. For those with limited or no Army experience, that's the equivalent of over 1,300 full-grown African elephants.

Hope that helps.

[MooreBonds]

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Originally Posted by Tyro For mining purposes, an asteroid from another system -- preferably a product of a supernova -- would be more interesting composition-wise, but beggars can't be choosers I spoze....

If it were a product of a supernova, odds are that it hasn't gravitationally interacted with much as it passed through deep space from the moment of the supernova.

Which means it would likely be zooming along at one helluva fast speed!

Most of the matter in our solar system is likely the product of a previous supernova, but it's mostly settled down in terms of speed, so they'd be far, far easier to get.

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Originally Posted by obgyn65 The emergence of a new mutated deadly virus and resulting pandemic is more likely to kill millions, IMO.

It's true that we don't know what may be on an asteroid in terms of biological organisms...but odds are, they weren't chunks from a former planet that could have had some biological organisms develop, but instead is probably just random small chunks of matter that gradually formed and broke apart as they collided with other asteroids. A very cold chunk of iron sitting in space with no atmosphere (to keep out radiation from stars, which would do a pretty good job of irradiating any lifeform that did manage to form) and no liquids (to help facilitate chemicals combining) isn't really a suitable environment for an organism to randomly form, so odds are the asteroid would be fairly sterile.

Imagine how difficult it would be for an organism to form on the moon (no liquids, no atmosphere), and then multiply that by some huge factor to arrive at an even smaller number for an asteroid.