Anyone see a large mountain fly by?

Tao_Equus · 05-05-2009, 03:12 PM

Should we be funding some space defence?
Nearby asteroid found orbiting sun backwards - space - 01 May 2009 - New Scientist

17th Angel · 05-05-2009, 03:17 PM

Define "space defence".

wil · 05-05-2009, 03:32 PM

Yup, lets start a study, lets fund a foundation, lets get our knickers in twist.

It comes within 15 million kliks... and it has H1N1...

dauer · 05-05-2009, 05:14 PM

I saw that article in my RSS feed. There was a comment to it that gave me pause. It could be that we are familiar with this object but it was previously on a different trajectory. Since it's in retrograde its orbit may be more frequently effected by the gravity of the planets as it passes.

wil · 06-23-2009, 05:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tao_Equus

Should we be funding some space defence?
Nearby asteroid found orbiting sun backwards - space - 01 May 2009 - New Scientist

Quote:

Originally Posted by dauer

It could be that we are familiar with this object but it was previously on a different trajectory. Since it's in retrograde its orbit may be more frequently effected by the gravity of the planets as it passes.

Is it orbiting backwards around the sun or has Michael Jackson taught it the moon walk?

Tao_Equus · 06-23-2009, 07:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wil

Is it orbiting backwards around the sun or has Michael Jackson taught it the moon walk?

I imagine your kids are used to rolling their eyes and groaning....that was awful!!

wil · 06-23-2009, 07:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tao_Equus

I imagine your kids are used to rolling their eyes and groaning....that was awful!!

Oh, don't you know it.

I'm pretty good at retrograde humor.

Tis all about calculated response.

One simply has to take in the gravity of the situation. And know your audience.

Notice I didn't say anything about passing planets...that kind of excrement humor just doesn't belong here...

Francis king · 06-26-2009, 05:38 PM

lol will... jester...

personally, while space might be fascinating and unexplored territory, I think we have more pressing problems on planet earth to deal with first..

in my opinion, there are only two reasons for society to spend billions on putting things in space-

one- scientists look for inhabitable planets outside this one is because they are still looking for a new home for humans, instead of fixing up the house we already have...

and two- so we can send military stuff up there to both a) watch our commie/muslim/iranian neighbours and b) have available weapons in case they don't play nice...

while they both may seem logical, neither of them are neccessary. Both are ridiculously expensive and to me, it defies logic that we can spend billions putting rockets into space to "pretend" we'll laser beam threatening asteroids to smithereens while ppl still starve to death and live in slums.