Tuesday, January 30, 2007

Kicking Asteroids


Dr. Edward Lu was a physicist at Hawaii's Institute for Astronomy before being chosen as an astronaut. In 2003 he spent 6 months aboard ISS. Back on Earth, he has been studying the problem of dangerous asteroids. He is part of the B612 Foundation, named for the Little Prince's home. With fellow astronaut Stan Love, he has proposed a "gravity tractor" to deflect an asteroid's orbit.

Last week Edward Lu, astronomer Nick Kaiser and others gave a presentation for us at the University of Hawaii. The system would use the spacecraft's small gravitational field as a tractor beam to gently tug an asteroid. If a tiny change is made early enough, the cumulative shift would turn an Earth encounter into a miss. The nudge might have to be made decades in advance, so it is good to start planning now.

To quote that other movie from 1998, ARMAGEDDON:

"In the Book of Revelations, the Bible speaks of a final day on Earth, when all mankind shall perish, shall cease to exist. This day is known as Armageddon...for the first time in the history of this planet, a species possesses the technology to prevent its own extinction."

Of all life on Earth, the human species is uniquely adapted for spaceflight. Hands with opposable thumbs for building things, capacity to cooperate toward a common goal, the desire to expand one's horizons are all useful traits. Recently I have found that our skin can be adapted for Space. Exploration of Space is an imperative for survival.

7 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Good to see more people posting about this (I think you and a couple others are the only ones that I saw).

This "space tractor" is probably the only thing that will work against these space rocks.

Regarding your revelation quote, the book actually speaks of three objects hitting planet Earth (and none of them have anything to do with Armageddon, which doesn't even refer to humanity perishing...no clue where Hollywood pulled that one from).

The first sounds like an asteroid in Revelations 8:8 while the next one sounds like a very nasty comet.

Keep up the great posts! ;-)

1:27 PM  
Blogger L. Riofrio said...

Thanks, Darnell! This blog will strive to post what you won't find elsewhere. Hollywood movies (WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE, METEOR, ARMAGEDDON, DEEP IMPACT) nearly always have multiple impacts. The little objects zero in on picturesque landmarks to emphasise the threat. The Big One then threatens to destroy humanity!

3:35 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hey RioFrio,

Thanks for the comment. I think a link exchange sounds great. I've already linked to your site, and feel free to browse the list and check out what other scientists, engineers, or space enthusiasts (like me) are writing about).

9:02 PM  
Blogger Unknown said...

20151022 junda
coach factory outlet online
Abercrombie & Fitch Factory Outlet
louis vuitton outlet
Michael Kors Outlet Online No Tax
oakley sunglasses
ugg boots outlet
Buy Kobe Shoes Online Discount
ray ban sunglasses
Ugg Boots,Ugg Boots Outlet,Ugg Outlet,Cheap Uggs,Uggs On Sale,Ugg Boots Clearance,Uggs For Women
true religion jeans
cheap ugg boots
michale kors outlet
Gucci Outlet Online Sale
Coach Factory Outlet Stores 70% off
celine
Christian Louis Vuitton Red Bottoms
louis vuitton outlet
ugg boots sale
air max 90
Oakley Vault Outlet Store Online
air max 95,nike golf,nike janoski,air max 1,nike canada,nike plus,nike shox,nike factory store
coach outlet online
michael kors outlet stores
canada goose outlet
canada goose outlet
Coach Factory Handbags Outlet Store
michael kors handbag
Hollister Clothes for Girls Website
Louis Vuitton Handbags Discount Off
coach factory outlet

7:02 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

thanks for information
Agen Qnc Jelly Gamat Di Bengkalis
Walatra Berry Jus
keuntungan menjadi member qnc jelly gamat
penjual qnc jelly gamat di sumbawa
khasiat dan manfaat obat alami penyakit kulit ayam untuk anak dan dewasa
agen qnc di sorong
obat epilepsi
harga dan cara order qnc jelly gamat
obat ampuh mata ikan herbal
walatra sehat mata softgel

10:57 PM  
Blogger Unknown said...

WWW0620

cheap snapbacks
nike air max 2015
canada goose
hermes belt
nike foamposite
calvin klein jeans
chopard jewelry
pandora charms
ugg outlet
michael kors outlet

4:56 PM  
Blogger yanmaneee said...

supreme t shirt
jordan shoes
air max 95
yeezy boost 350
goyard handbags
yeezy boost 350 v2
kd 11
adidas stan smith shoes
michael kors outlet
curry 6 shoes

6:21 PM  

Post a Comment

<< Home

Locations of visitors to this page