NASA Scientists: We Don't Have Money to Track Killer Asteroids

[jeremy860]

Apparently this program is too expensive for the goverment. What do you think? Should we be spending our tax dollars to help find these killer asteroids and possibly prevent a collision with earth someday in the future?


http://www.foxnews.com/images/267409/1_61_asteroid_impact.jpg
WASHINGTON — NASA officials say the space agency is capable of finding nearly all the asteroids that might pose a devastating hit to Earth, but there isn't enough money to pay for the task so it won't get done.

The cost to find at least 90 percent of the 20,000 potentially hazardous asteroids and comets by 2020 would be about $1 billion, according to a report NASA will release later this week. The report was previewed Monday at this year's Planetary Defense Conference in Washington.

Congress in 2005 asked NASA to come up with a plan to track most killer asteroids and propose how to deflect the potentially catastrophic ones.

"We know what to do — we just don't have the money," said Simon "Pete" Worden, director of NASA's Ames Research Center.

These are asteroids that are bigger than 460 feet in diameter — slightly smaller than the Superdome in New Orleans.

They are a threat even if they don't hit Earth because if they explode while close enough — an event caused by heating in both the rock and the atmosphere — the devastation from the shockwaves is still immense.

The explosion alone could have with the power of 100 million tons of dynamite, enough to devastate an entire state, such as Maryland, they said.

The agency is already tracking bigger objects, at least 3,300 feet in diameter, that could wipe out most life on Earth, much like what is theorized to have happened to dinosaurs 65 million years ago.

But even that search, which has spotted 769 asteroids and comets — none of which is on course to hit Earth — is behind schedule. It's supposed to be complete by the end of next year.

NASA needs to do more to locate other smaller, but still potentially dangerous space bodies. While an Italian observatory is doing some work, the United States is the only government with an asteroid-tracking program, NASA said.

One solution would be to build a new ground telescope solely for the asteroid hunt, and piggyback that use with other agencies' telescopes for a total of $800 million.

Another would be to launch a space infrared telescope that could do the job faster for $1.1 billion.

But NASA program scientist Lindley Johnson said NASA and the White House called both those choices too costly.

A cheaper option would be to simply piggyback on other agencies' telescopes, a cost of about $300 million, also rejected, Johnson said.

"The decision of the agency is we just can't do anything about it right now," he added.

Earth got a scare in 2004, when initial readings suggested an 885-foot asteroid called 99942 Apophis seemed to have a chance of hitting Earth in 2029. But more observations showed that wouldn't happen.

Scientists say there is a 1-in-45,000 chance that it could hit in 2036.

They think it would mostly likely strike the Pacific Ocean, which would cause a tsunami on the U.S. West Coast the size of the devastating 2004 Indian Ocean wave.

John Logsdon, space policy director at George Washington University, said a stepped-up search for such asteroids is needed.

"You can't deflect them if you can't find them," Logsdon said. "And we can't find things that can cause massive damage."

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,256948,00.html

[Jordan]

Oh shxt now you got me scared.

[laars]

I think NASA should team up with all of the other space programs in the world rather than competing to see who can do what first. It'd be to the benefit of everyone. I'm sure if there was one collaboration of all the space programs in the world, they could find more than enough money to do whatever they see fit; but then they'd probably find other things to waste the excess money on.

[not2late]

This makes me wish I was super rich.

Id supplement the government and get a team working on my automated moonbase to track asteroids and send out drones to move them out of the earth's path with laser lights.

[YabbaDoo]

What happened to "Whatever will be, will be, the future's not ours to see"
LOL!
I think, everything happens for a reason, if an asteroid is coming, it's supposed to be coming, the world's gonna end some day anyways...
Some days I just think, why don't we just stop pushing to prevent things and let everything...."Just happen".....Like I also reckon we should stop with all the global warming prevention, it's obviously happening for a reason, maybe "god" wants to end the world? if "he" didn't want to do it, why is he letting it continue to happen? I don't actually believe in god but you get what I mean.
I'm probably contradticting everything I've ever said or believed in in the past with this post, but this has just occured to me, hmm maybe it's depression talking and I'm just feeding a "Can't be assed anymore" attitude...Or maybe I have a point.

[Elvis.]

You've gotta love skeptics.:gun_bandana:

[YabbaDoo]

This makes me wish I was super rich.

Id supplement the government and get a team working on my automated moonbase to track asteroids and send out drones to move them out of the earth's path with laser lights.


Damn, you would have to be more than just "super rich" to afford to do that, you'd have to be "one of the richest people in the world" rich to be able to do that kinda stuff...

You've gotta love skeptics.:gun_bandana:

LOL! I know it's wierd how I've suddenly become so skeptical about everything to do with science...
I'm so positive about other things normally, lately I've become so "oh, I don't care!"
Mind you, I think that's a natural thing for a teenager haha!

[NYCBORN]

Damn, you would have to be more than just "super rich" to afford to do that, you'd have to be "one of the richest people in the world" rich to be able to do that kinda stuff...



LOL! I know it's wierd how I've suddenly become so skeptical about everything to do with science...
I'm so positive about other things normally, lately I've become so "oh, I don't care!"
Mind you, I think that's a natural thing for a teenager haha!

It's good to question things. I feel like they lie to us on a regular basis to confuse us. An overload of misinformation makes us indecisive and unsure about what is real. That's the easiest person a government can control.

[Kasami2k4]

Well, the states WOULD have enough money, but I guess war is more important than safety =\ After all.. that's why they're broke ahah

[YabbaDoo]

haha, and you blame Britain for that according to The Evil Empire (http://www.amazon.com/Evil-Empire-Britain-Ruined-World/dp/1594741735)
I can't believe an american hates the brits so much :O
I saw him on the TV today and was like :O

[shimmeringgraphix]

That's ridiculous.. A space shuttle costs $1.7 billion and it cost about 450 million per mission to actually send it to space, yet they don't have the money to research about "killer asteroids"... I believe there is something wrong with their priorities. I would rather protect the earth than explore other planets. In other words I rather not die.

[jeremy860]

Like I also reckon we should stop with all the global warming prevention, it's obviously happening for a reason, maybe "god" wants to end the world? if "he" didn't want to do it, why is he letting it continue to happen?

Because GOD still gives us the power of "Free will". :)

[jeremy860]

That's ridiculous.. A space shuttle costs $1.7 billion and it cost about 450 million per mission to actually send it to space, yet they don't have the money to research about "killer asteroids"... I believe there is something wrong with their priorities. I would rather protect the earth than explore other planets. In other words I rather not die.


I agree with you 100%

I say scrap the plan for landing on the moon again and use that money for asteroid prevention.

they should also scrap all these mars programs and ect ect ect...

[Connections]

less money on iraq **** more money on killer asteroids..

we are all probly going to be killed over some massive asteroid rather then people fighting over one piece of land...

[Selena]

Honestly, all the money we are spending on this war is ridiculous and even spending on finding other life is completely retarded, but no, lets not even bother to worry about the asteroids that could kill us all in a minute.
Wow the government is dumb. I'm sure an asteroid the size of the superdome can do quite a lot more damage than a terrorist attack.

I heard once that every second the war goes on is another hundred thousand dollars we are spending, or something to that effect, some large number per second that the war is going on. Gee lets cut down the time of this war by a day and see how much we save, or better yet, gee, end it because its doing NOTHING!!

[Jazzylee77]

Yeah! Whats the US doing fighting a real and present danger to the world when it should be throwing billions into killer asteroids...

[Greg-J]

Cost of War in IRAQ: Over $405 billion. (http://nationalpriorities.org/index.php?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=182)


Cost of finding killer asteroids: $1.1 billion too much.


The look in their face when something the size of New York comes through the atmosphere: Priceless.






Some things money can't buy, for everything else there's the National Debt.

[jeremy860]

Cost of War in IRAQ: Over $405 billion. (http://nationalpriorities.org/index.php?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=182)


Cost of finding killer asteroids: $1.1 billion too much.


The look in their face when something the size of New York comes through the atmosphere: Priceless.






Some things money can't buy, for everything else there's the National Debt.


haha I just had my first laugh of the day. Thanks! :clap:

[laars]

All of you talking about the Irag war, all I have to say is:
Obama '08 BABY!

[YabbaDoo]

Cost of War in IRAQ: Over $405 billion. (http://nationalpriorities.org/index.php?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=182)
Cost of finding killer asteroids: $1.1 billion too much.
The look in their face when something the size of New York comes through the atmosphere: Priceless.




Some things money can't buy, for everything else there's the National Debt.

Hahahahahahahahhahahaha

[vulcanstudios]

@yaba

You have to picture the big picture as a little picture. You can't say if an asteroid is going to hit us then that's what's going to happen we shouldn't worry about it. Think of it smaller with just you and a car. If your crossing the street and someone is driving right for you you won't say it's supposed to happen so I'm not going to walk 4 paces faster so I don't get obliterated by that car.

[YabbaDoo]

@yaba

You have to picture the big picture as a little picture. You can't say if an asteroid is going to hit us then that's what's going to happen we shouldn't worry about it. Think of it smaller with just you and a car. If your crossing the street and someone is driving right for you you won't say it's supposed to happen so I'm not going to walk 4 paces faster so I don't get obliterated by that car.

I really like these comments coming up about "'god' giving free will" and your method of looking at things, it's always good to have a new perspective.
Like I said before, it was a new way of me looking at things with a "don't care" attitude. but you guys have changed my opinion, which is pretty rare.
I guess you're right about it's our choice then fine.
I do agree with what a lot of you said about war VS this...I will always back NASA over IRAQ. Simply because I don't understand the Iraqi war, frankly, I've never tried to understand, it's always seemed like a pretty pointless war to me anyways...US has better weapons than them and air defence or w/e so couldn't you see the bomber plane coming to attack you and stop it anyway? I don't get it =/ I'm probably talking crap as this is something I know nothing about, so do correct me, coz I know nothing about Nasa, war on iraq etc..So I'm totally clueless....However I clicked a link someone pasted and i was SHOCKED!!!
I never knew the war cost that much, there are so many better ways to spend money than on this sh!t....
But yep, I am all for pulling outta Iraq and using the money to protect us from huge deadly objects flying at us from space, they seem more dangerous than a big hairy man who got found and executed ages ago anyways....

[Ad disengaged]

Bunch of nerds

always want more money

then they make doomsday predictions to scare people and congress into giving money

[jeremy860]

they aint predicting anything to happen in the near future. But there is always that uncertainy since they dont have the funds keep the project going and watch out for those threats.

It can happen, it has happened before and happens all the time on other non-human planets.

[Jazzylee77]

This is the type of zero sum argument typical of liberals...if you do x then you can't do y. The growing radical muslim threat is vastly more likely to affect our generation than a killer asteroid. I have much disagreement with the way this threat is being fought, but it must be fought.

There is a growing group of people who are brainwashed, isolated in their thinking, who would gladly kill every non-muslim on the planet. There is no doubt in my my mind that they are pursuing weapons of mass destruction and will use them. To protest efforts to thwart this, even when the efforts are underpowered, is infantile. Muslims must have an awakening, a modernization of their thinking, to live peacefully with other beliefs. Those who cling to the Muslim doctrines of hate and genocide must be eliminated. If a man points a gun at me, I will not be more worried about possible annihilation by asteroid.

Considering the asteroid issue separately. What is the real science? Seems like an emotional response to a ploy from NASA for funding. Isn't this already being worked on? What about the way Venus interferes with the orbits of asteroids? When NASA says it can find "all" threatening objects...well that can't be true...what parameters...what odds of something beyond those parameters...what real help would it be? Wouldn't we detect it anyway? Is it possible there is a defense system in place that is kept secret for security reasons? What is an appropriate risk to cost ratio? Are there other risks greater than asteroids? What is the value of a life in dollars? These questions are asked when installing guard rails on highways. Guard rails every where would save lives...but it becomes cost prohibitive and engineers/lawmakers need to consider lives saved per dollar at a location.

It comes down to science, risk evaluation, and cost. But if Michael Moore and Al Gore make a bogus movie on killer asteroids, no doubt congress will be dying to tax us all into feeling safe and voting for them.

[Ad disengaged]

Agree 100% jazzy

[ZoNiak]

hope nothing happens to lovely earth

[r32faisal]

I say forget about the killer asteroids. The human race isn't worth saving.

[Nora]

I say forget about the killer asteroids. The human race isn't worth saving.
I agree.. would hate to see the internet die because of an asteroid though..