[FPSPACE] Failure is expected result of current NASA NEO detection efforts

[E.P. Grondine]

Hi Jens - 

 

>Of course we can. 

 

Of course we can't  - its an n-body gravitational problem. As in: 

 

>scientists are fairly certain that
>the asteroid would hit in one of 3 large areas.

  
>One would have thought that a clever CA politician such
>as Dana Rohrabacher had insisted that a transponder
>mission to Apophis be launched without delay in order
>to clarify the above threat? 
 

Why the hell are you expecting the US to pick up the bill?

Why don't you rag the ESA?


> Operationally, what we need is 45 minutes warning
> of a Tunguska type impactor to get people into shelter.
> For impact mega-tsunami, which have been occurring at
> a rate of 1 per 1,000 years, we need 2 to 3 days
> warning for coastal evacuation.
 
>>We ought to have at least several days of warning, as
>>long as an impactor is not approaching from a direction
>>close to that of the sun.

 

Not true for "dark comets" (burned out comet fragments). They don't reflect enough light.


>Let's detect in good time as many NEOs as possible, in
>order that we may deflect as early as possible as few
>as necessary.
 

We can agree there. The better detection, the less need for more drastic deflection techniques.

 

You know, it's funny,  sitting here nearly a decade later. Morrison fixated on me when I reported that NASA had assigned the detection program to JPL instead of to Ames/Arizona.

It wasn't my decision, I was just a reporter.

 

Even after the Brown ammendment, Arizona still plays a major role. 

 

In retrospection, NASA management made the right decision, as this is going to take space based assets and Hawaii is probably the best US observatory location. But Eleanor Helin and Arizona would have made a fine team, IMO.

 

As you can see from the Courtney Stadd matter, the e-mail archives are now available to the IG's office. 

 

E.P. Grondine

Man and Impact in the Americas

 

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