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Thursday, July 25, 2002 |
News: Half-kilometer wide chunk of rock makes close approach to Earth on
Aug. 18 -- http://www.msnbc.com/news/784563.asp?pne=msn
&cp1=1#BODY
Comment: This will be neat to see through a telescope early on the morning
of Aug. 18. Maybe not-so-neat to see in 2022, when there is a slight chance
the rock could smack us.
In 20 years, we could have space-based lasers that could push the rock away
from us, or maybe vaporize it. But if there is nothing we can do, then what?
Well, first of all, it's most likely it will land somewhere in the ocean
because most of the planet is covered with water. But that could cause local
tsunamis that could devastate coastal areas. And, the steam and vaporized
rock that the hit would generate could cause some climate change. How much?
Who knows? Maybe enough to counter global warming ;)
A stranger scenario would be if scientists predicted it would hit, say,
mid-Michigan at noon on July 25, 2022. Maybe you have a one-month lead time.
What do you do? Evacuate all half-million residents? To where? And what if
the prediction is plus or minus 100 miles? You might evacuate people right
into the path of the hit.
I guess the only consolation is there has never been an asteroid hit of this
magnitude in recorded human history. But there have been a number of
"dinosaur-killers" over the entire history of the planet, so never say
never.
1:06:41 PM 
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© Copyright 2002 Michael Rogers.
Last update: 8/1/02; 1:13:41 PM.
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