Latest By
Category:
Armor
Artificial
Intelligence
Biology
Clothing
Communication
Computers
Culture
Data Storage
Displays
Engineering
Entertainment
Food
Input Devices
Lifestyle
Living Space
Manufacturing
Material
Media
Medical
Miscellaneous
Robotics
Security
Space Tech
Spacecraft
Surveillance
Transportation
Travel
Vehicle
Virtual
Person
Warfare
Weapon
Work
 |
Comments on NEOShield Asteroid Deflector Project Funded By EU
'It is similar to deflector panels I've seen, Captain, but far more complicated.' (Read
the complete story)
| "I'm pretty sure that they'll find that there is really no ONE way, just as there is no ONE type of asteroid. But there is probably a preferred way for each type. " (Dewtey 2/13/2012 10:24:09 AM) |
| "I'm wondering if they'll actually take into account timeframes necessary. Has the detection estimate increased significantly since over the last ten years? If we're likely to have less than a week between detection of a previously undetected asteroid and its impact, that would make the "gravity tractor" solution unworkable, even if it were the best solution otherwise. (just as an example of a point I have not yet seen actually brought up in any of these studies)" (Ashley 2/13/2012 3:06:56 PM) |
| "All the studies I've seen have assumed perfect conditions... Knowing for years (or decades) ahead of time that the asteroid is incoming, having the entire infrastructure for defense already fully in place (and in the perfect position to be used against the particular asteroid involved in the scenario), the government agreeing instantly both that the asteroid is a danger that needs dealt with and how to deal with it, etc. None of those conditions is really at all realistic, but I've yet to see any study dealing with "what we might be able to do to stop an asteroid from destroying us if we find out only at the last instant and aren't already ready to deal with it."" (Ashley 2/13/2012 3:09:41 PM) |
| "The best thing would be to first catalog all of the objects that can be seen, that could possibly intersect the orbit of Earth. In the 2005 NASA Authorization Act, Congress mandated that by 2020 NASA should be capable of detecting at least 90 percent of objects over 140 meters wide in the vicinity of Earth's orbit. NEAR-EARTH OBJECT SURVEYS AND HAZARD MITIGATION STRATEGIES, an interim report of a congressionally mandated study by the National Research Council, examines NASA's current ability to survey and detect these near-Earth objects. You can actually buy this report; see http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12738. Secondly, you'd ideally have something that did a better job of detection than comet spotters and other amateur astronomers." (Bill Christensen 2/13/2012 3:10:04 PM) |
| "It's surprising that we haven't done more work in this area, since sf writers thought about it in the Thirties. See the Meteor Warning System from Edmond Hamilton's 1932 novel A Conquest of Two Worlds." (Bill Christensen 2/13/2012 3:14:12 PM) |
| "Here's what it looks like when the planetary asteroid deflection device is in operation (in Star Trek, that is).
Thanks to Moira for the tip on this picture." |
| "Detection of Near Earth Asteroids has gotten much better in the past decade. Back in 2001, we only knew of about 1000 of them. As of today, JPL/Sentry has the number at a touch over 8500. And we (the Earth's scientific community) is finding new ones at the rate of about a thousand a year." (Dewtey 2/14/2012 6:17:09 PM) |
| "From NASA's Near Earth Objects Program:
" |
Get more information on NEOShield Asteroid Deflector Project Funded By EU
Leave a comment:
Tediously, spammers have returned; if you have a comment, send it to bill at this site (include the story name) and I'll post it.
More Articles
TRANSFORM Dynamic Furniture Concept Becomes What You Need
'An adjustment panel outside the door would cause it to extrude various appurtenances in memory plastic...'
Harvard Metamaterials Change Structure Instantly
'Annealed in any shape for a time, and codified, the structure of that shape is retained down to the molecules.'
SnapBot Robots - You Choose Their Legs And They Choose Their Gaits
It's not really polite to tear the limbs off robots.
Dino From Magical Toys An AI Companion To Children
'...the imaginary companions discovered by needful children.'
Humanoid Robots Building Humanoid Robots
''Pardon me, Struthers,' he broke in suddenly... 'haven't you a section of the factory where only robot labor is employed?''
Darpa 'Defiant' Unmanned Autonomous Ship
'There was no wheel, and no steersman!'
What's The Best Way To Ship And Unpack Humanoid Robots?
'I opened the oblong box, where lay the automatons side by side...'
DNA Printed Book By Isaac Asimov Now Available
'They tied the memory to the bloodline and that was their record!'
AI Computer Chip Designs Passeth Human Understanding
'It seems that at one time computers were designed directly by human beings.'
Space Traffic Management (STM) Needed Now
'...the spot was a lonely one in an uncharted region, far from the normal lanes of space traffic.'
Fine-Tune Your Infinite Book The Way You Want It
'I squatted down beside the roller and tried to make some sense out of the knobs. There were thirty-nine of them...'
SpiRobs Soft Spiral Robotic Arm
'Beware the long, flexible, glittering tentacles...'
Holland Factory 3D Printing 500 Tons Of Steak Per Month
'...I don’t understand technical things — tell me, does it ever feel anything?"
Stratospheric Solar Geoengineering From Harvard
'Pina2bo would have to operate full blast for many years to put as much SO2 into the stratosphere as its namesake had done in a few minutes.'
ErythroMer Artificial Blood
'My chemists are all working on the preparation of the artificial blood.'
Vesuvius Challenge Accepted - Ancient Burnt Scroll Read!
'The image on the Trimagniscope tube was an enlarged view of one of the pocket-size books found on the body...'
Create An Accurate Tiny Model Of Yourself
'Farr patiently stood on the disk of gray metal.'
Futuristic Transit Elevated Bus Never Really Worked
It was worth a try!
Robochef Robotic Food Prep
'No hand touched the food...'
Rear View Heads Up Display For Motorcycle Helmets
'Another thing space suits should have is rearview mirrors.'
