Sometimes staying in dark, is not a good idea. Because closing our eyes to those things that "go bump in the night" -- really doesn't make them go away.
Sometimes investing in Science -- is a just a plain old good investment in our Future. Most times actually.
There was a reason why they called the Dark Ages -- "dark". There were reasons why people eagerly moved into the Age of Enlightenment.
Funny how easily, those "reasons" are forgotten ...
Asteroid 'could reveal planet data'
irishexaminer.com -- Tuesday, November 08, 2011
The 2005 YU55 asteroid will miss the Earth by 201,700 miles -- a small distance in astronomical terms, although experts say there is no danger of the object hitting the planet.
If it were to veer off course, the impact could wipe out a city the size of London or New York, while landing in the sea would cause a 70ft high tsunami.
Nasa has set up its Near Earth Object Programme, known as “Spaceguard”, to co-ordinate efforts to identify and track potentially hazardous space objects.
By the end of the decade, it aims to locate at least 90% of an estimated 1,000 asteroids and comets larger than one kilometre (0.6 miles) in diameter.
Objects of this size are big enough to cause the mass extinction of most life on Earth. The asteroid believed to have wiped out the dinosaurs 65 million years ago measured seven kilometres (4.3 miles) across.
Mr Tate said spotting potential threats was vitally important. “There is a clear and present danger that we might be hit,” he said.
Asteroid Nearly Passes By Earth [2005 YU55 -- Nov 8, 2011]
http://youtu.be/...
The good news, this one is going to miss us by a Lunar mile.
The bad news, there are a bunch more planet-impactors out there, that Science has yet to even discover.
Shouldn't we be looking for those Earth-crossing asteroids out there, that could -- that will -- one day strike Earth?
Well if you think using Science is how people plan, how people progress -- well yes that would be the prudent course to take.
Problem is Science isn't cheap. Progress rarely is.
US Congress triples NASA's budget for Near Earth Object Survey - what about Australia?
27 May 1999
Michael Paine, New South Wales Coordinator, The Planetary Society Australian Volunteers
[...]
The importance of Southern Hemisphere observations was recently demonstrated. In January 1999 US observers detected a new "earth crossing" asteroid - 1999 AN10. Subsequent observations by Australian-based amateur NEO searcher Frank Zoltowski caused the Minor Planet Centre to review the predicted orbit of the asteroid. On 7 August 2027 the 1km diameter asteroid could miss the Earth by as little as 37,000km or 3 Earth diameters. Its orbit cannot be reliably predicted after such a close approach but, in an interview with MSNBC, Don Yeomans, head of NASA's Near-Earth Object Program Office at JPL, said that asteroid 1999 AN10 has a 1-in-500,000 chance of hitting the Earth in 2044 (for comparison, there is an estimated a 1-in-100,000 chance that an undiscovered asteroid one kilometer or larger in diameter will strike the Earth in a given year). Due to its unusual orbit around the Sun it is likely to remain a threat for hundreds of years.
What are the Odds? 1-in-100,000 chance in any year.
Shoot, I've "invested" in Lotto Tickets before that had much worse odds than that, of having the stars align. Didn't think twice about the cost.
Maybe those "Volunteer Astronomers", could use a little help form NASA. Ya think?
Expand Asteroid Search, NASA says
Aviation Week -- Nov 9, 2007
by Jefferson Morris/Aerospace Daily & Defense Report
NASA officials told House lawmakers on Capitol Hill Nov. 8 that the agency's effort to find potentially dangerous asteroids must be expanded if it is to meet the deadlines set out in NASA's 2005 authorizing legislation.
[...]
NASA currently devotes about $4.1 million annually for its "Spaceguard" program to find NEOs. At that level of effort, it will take more than a century to reach the 90 percent goal, according to Donald Yeomans, manager of the NEO [Near Earth Objects] Program Office at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena.
"We simply cannot afford to wait that long," Yeomans told members of the House Science & Technology Committee's Space & Aeronautics subcommittee. At this rate, only 14 percent of the 140 meter or larger objects will be found by 2020.
"Due to budget constraints, NASA cannot initiate a new program beyond Spaceguard at this time," said Scott Pace, NASA's associate administrator for Program Analysis & Evaluation.
Shoot, It kind of sounds like NASA could use a little help, from those stingy Tax-payers. They might even Create a few Jobs, given half a chance.
NASA faces funding crunch to find killer asteroids
by Warren E. Leary, NYTimes -- March 12, 2007
WASHINGTON — The National Aeronautics and Space Administration can find and track most of the nearby asteroids that could hit and damage the Earth, but there is not enough money in its budget to finish the project within a 15-year deadline mandated by Congress, according to an agency report.
The report, released Friday, said there were about 20,000 asteroids and comets orbiting relatively close to our planet that could deliver blows ranging from destroying cities to ending all life.
Hmmm? What was America spending all its money on back in 2007 ... oh wait nevermind. Fighting "Terror" was forget-everything-else expensive, I forgot.
Besides when your number's up -- your number's up, right. Why sweat the small stuff.
It's not like some asteroid is going to ruin MY day, is it?
larger
Ok, it's not like YU55 is going to have a gravitation hick-up and change its course, anytime soon, is it?
These things have "their appointed courses" right? Nothing ever goes wrong in space, right?
I guess it depends on what you mean by "wrong" ...
Comet Shoemaker Levy colliding with Jupiter
http://youtu.be/...
Well those crazy Scientists realize that, even the "small rocks" can ruin your whole day. And a 70-ft tidal wave might put a serious dampener on your entire week too. Just ask Japan.
NASA Releases Near-Earth Object Search Report
Near-Earth Object Program - NASA
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
A Study to Determine the Feasibility of Extending the Search for Near-Earth Objects to Smaller Limiting Diameters
In recent years, there has been an increasing appreciation for the hazards posed by near-Earth objects (NEOs), those asteroids and periodic comets (both active and inactive) whose motions can bring them into the Earth's neighborhood. In August of 2002, NASA chartered a Science Definition Team to study the feasibility of extending the search for near-Earth objects to smaller limiting diameters. The formation of the team was motivated by the good progress being made toward achieving the so-called Spaceguard goal of discovering 90% of all near-Earth objects (NEOs) with diameters greater than 1 km by the end of 2008. This raised the question of what, if anything, should be done with respect to the much more numerous smaller, but still potentially dangerous, objects. The team was tasked with providing recommendations to NASA as well as the answers to the following 7 specific questions:
1. What are the smallest objects for which the search should be optimized?
2. Should comets be included in any way in the survey?
3. What is technically possible?
4. How would the expanded search be done?
5. What would it cost?
6. How long would the search take?
7. Is there a transition size above which one catalogs all the objects, and below which the design is simply to provide warning?
[...]
Science Definition Team Recommendations
The Team makes three specific recommendations to NASA as a result of the analysis effort:
Recommendation 1 - Future goals related to searching for potential Earth-impacting objects should be stated explicitly in terms of the statistical risk eliminated (or characterized) and should be firmly based on cost/benefit analyses.
[...]
Recommendation 2 - Develop and operate a NEO search program with the goal of discovering and cataloging the potentially hazardous population sufficiently well to eliminate 90% of the risk due to sub-kilometer objects.
How many of these near-earth asteroids are out there? Quite a few, at least given the ones NASA knows about ... but it's ones they DON'T know about, that need some serious telescope time:
RECENT CLOSE APPROACHES TO EARTH
UPCOMING CLOSE APPROACHES TO EARTH
NEAR EARTH OBJECT NEWS
Finally, some 'small measure' of sanity has returned to the NASA bottom lines, in recent years ... what's a few million dollars for some 'peace of mind', for our species' long-term well being? ... I guess that, depends on who you talk to -- the Science Fans or the Science Phobes ...
NASA FY2012 Budget and NEO Program (Increase from About US$6 M to US$20M)
A.C. Charania, planetarydefense.blogspot -- 4 February 2011
The recent NASA FY2012 Budget request from President Obama has been released. Some quick highlights related to NEOs. It looks as if the Near Earth Object Observations (NEOO) program will have its budget increased from US$5.8M in FY2010 (and similar amount in FY2011 due to the Continuing Resolution) to approximately a little over US$20M in FY2012. From the recent budget release from NASA:
Near Earth Object Observations (NEOO) program
Budget Authority, $ in millions
Actual FY2010: US$5.8 M
FY2011: Continuing Resolution (CR)
FY2012: US$20.4 M
FY2013: US$20.5 M
FY2014: US$20.6 M
FY2015: US$20.7 M
FY2016: US$21.1 M
First Movie of Asteroid 2005 YU55
http://youtu.be/...
We never know when one of those unseen asteroids out there, might have our name on it.
Certainly investing $20 million a year in some "preventative" Science, is a small price to pay ... to know what's coming, down the pike.
To maybe have half a chance to divert a planetary disaster BEFORE it strikes, seemingly out of the blue.
Afterall, we can't always count on Bruce Willis being available to save the day, when our number's up. Assuming we know even that much ...
Sometimes, we have to turn to those geeky science guys instead ... That's assuming we still trust Science of course as a society, and think it's worth this relatively minor investment in our collective future well-being?
Afterall it's those threats that you DON'T see -- that are usually the ones that get you. Just ask the Dinosaurs.
Just ask the folks of the Marshall Islands and the Maldives ... about those hidden, "don't-really-see-them" threats.
The Dark Ages weren't really that bad, were they? ... Kind of soggy some of the time ... maybe.