[meteorite-list] 'Paul Revere' Scientist Suggests Unusual Asteroid Warning System

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From: Jeff Kuyken <jeff_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 10:27:47 2004
Message-ID: <001e01c3a9af$30e52380$08348690_at_mandin4f89ypwu>

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If such a project was ever going to take place then maybe they just need =
to think in dollars. Put a $10+ million reward/grant for the first =
institution to discover and certify a NEO posing a very serious or =
imminent risk to Earth. There might be plenty of people willing to =
invest in the program then!

Jeff Kuyken
I.M.C.A. #3085
www.meteoritesaustralia.com

 ----- Original Message -----=20
 From: Ron Baalke=20
 To: Meteorite Mailing List=20
 Sent: Wednesday, November 12, 2003 8:44 AM
 Subject: [meteorite-list] 'Paul Revere' Scientist Suggests Unusual =
Asteroid Warning System

 http://www.jewishworldreview.com/1103/asteroid_warning_system.asp

 'Paul Revere' scientist suggests unusual asteroid warning system=20
 Jewish World Review
 November 2003

 Just last month, a meteorite slammed into a village in eastern India.

 Eleven people were injured and two homes were destroyed by
 fire.

 Perhaps more unsettling, in 1908, a space rock screamed into
 Earth's atmosphere, exploding in the sky over a remote Siberian
 forest with a force greater than a 10-megaton nuclear blast.

 Fires started, wildlife perished and trees fell for miles in every
 direction.

 These days, efforts underway to detect comets and asteroids on
 a potential collision course with Earth include an unassuming
 scientist from Ridgewood, N.J., with an idea for a better method.

 William A. Hoffman III doesn't have a company, or investors for
 his detection system, called "Looking out for you." But he
 received a patent (U.S. No. 6,452,538), and some distinguished
 astronomers say his idea is intriguing.

 Hoffman wants to place telescopes on the outer-space side of
 telecommunications satellites where they can continuously scan
 the heavens, free from cloud cover that often hampers earthbound
 telescopes, to look for what astronomers call NEOs, or Near
 Earth Objects.

 The data would beam down to a ground station and be sent - for
 a fee - to schools or institutions or individuals who could use it
 to pinpoint the rocks' orbit.

 "I can't speak for NASA, but personally I think it's a great idea if
 he can make it work," said Dan Mazenek, an aerospace engineer based at =
NASA's
 Langley Research Center and director of a study on how best to search =
for large comets
 and asteroids that might strike Earth.

 "If he can get the money to put telescopes up there then I'm =
interested in the results,"
 said Lucy McFadden.

 McFadden was one of thirteen scientists and researchers who signed an =
open letter to
 Congress in July warning of the threat from space and urging the =
government to invest
 in some kind of system to help guard against a significant hit.

 Hoffman is an unimposing man with a polite, professorial manner who =
acknowledges
 with good humor that many people might find his idea sort of, well, =
pie in the sky. And
 he's also realistic enough to know he'll have to make a lot of noise =
to get any investors
 interested.

 "If I have to fund it myself it's not going to happen at all," he =
said.

 He believes colleges and universities without an astronomy program =
might be willing to
 pay for the telescope data.

 And individuals could access it via the Internet, where subscription =
fees and advertising
 might bring in revenue.

 "There are lots and lots of people that would buy into the idea of =
helping protect the
 Earth by signing onto a program like this," said Kelly Beatty, =
executive editor of Sky &
 Telescope magazine. Whether they would pay for the privilege is =
another question, he
 added.

 Beatty and others also raised numerous questions about technical =
aspects of Hoffman's
 idea.

 Would the telecommunications companies that own the satellites agree =
to the plan?

 Would cosmic rays interfere with the images?

 How exactly would the raw data be processed into pictures of the =
heavens?

 And perhaps the biggest issue: cost.

 "We always ask, could this be accomplished from the ground?" said Neil =
deGrasse
 Tyson, an astrophysicist and director of the Hayden Planetarium at the =
American
 Museum of Natural History. He was skeptical of Hoffman's plan, he =
said, because "it's
 more expensive to do anything in space."

 But Tyson, who also signed the July letter to Congress, agreed there =
was a need to get
 something in place to identify dangerous space rocks.

 "There is no organized effort to monitor the sky continuously," he =
said.

 Hoffman, a graduate of Wayne High School who attended the Air Force =
Academy and
 received his doctorate in organic chemistry from Stevens Institute, =
acknowledged the
 challenges but welcomed any scrutiny.

 "The more people that start paying attention to this idea, the more =
likely it's all going to
 work," said Hoffman, who spent his career working for a number of =
chemical companies
 including Union Carbide before becoming a chemical industry =
consultant.

 Hoffman said the beauty of his early warning system is its relatively =
low cost.

 He estimates putting the first telescope up might fall in the range of =
$2 million to $3
 million, much of which would pay for the extensive testing needed to =
make sure the
 piggybacked telescope wouldn't interfere with the satellite's primary =
job of sending
 phone or TV signals down to earth.

 The communications satellites are perfect, he said, because they are =
geo-stationary.
 That is, they stay in one spot, moving as the earth moves so the =
telescopes would be
 positioned around the planet and could watch wide areas of space.

 "You're watching all the time; you're seeing a movie of the stars," =
said Hoffman.

 As for actually seeing his dream become real, Hoffman acknowledges =
many hurdles.

 "Somebody's got to agree that it can go on their satellite and =
somebody's going to be
 involved in the collection and distribution of the data," he said.

 Several satellite operators, including PanAmSat and Loral Skynet, =
couldn't find anyone
 to comment on Hoffman's plan.

 Hoffman said he approached a number of large corporations, including =
Disney, Time
 Warner, and Kodak, to gauge their interest.

 The corporate interest hasn't exactly been high, he admits, although =
he's contacting
 some companies again in light of the scientists' July letter to =
Congress.

 The 58-year-old amateur astronomer also said that although he'd enjoy =
reaping
 financial benefits from his project, he wouldn't mind if the =
government paid him
 something nominal for his patent if they promised to put the system in =
place.

 Astronomers point to the 1994 collision of the comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 =
with Jupiter as
 an example of the force and devastation that can occur when one of a =
swarm of comets
 and asteroids in our solar system slams into a planet.

 The massive blast created a dust cloud larger than Earth itself.

 "You don't want to say `Gee, we missed that one,'" said Hoffman. =20

 ______________________________________________
 Meteorite-list mailing list
 Meteorite-list_at_meteoritecentral.com
 http://www.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list

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<DIV>If such a project was ever going to take place =
then maybe=20
they just need to think in dollars. Put a $10+ million =
reward/grant=20
for the first institution to discover and certify a NEO posing =
a very=20
serious or imminent risk to Earth. There might be plenty of people =
willing to=20
invest in the program then!</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Jeff Kuyken I.M.C.A. #3085 <A=20
href=3D"http://www.meteoritesaustralia.com">www.meteoritesaustralia.com</=
A></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE=20
style=3D"PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; =
BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
 <DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
 <DIV=20
 style=3D"BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: =
black">From:=20
 <A title=3Dbaalke_at_zagami.jpl.nasa.gov=20
 href=3D"mailto:baalke_at_zagami.jpl.nasa.gov">Ron Baalke</A> </DIV>
 <DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial">To: <A=20
 title=3Dmeteorite-list_at_meteoritecentral.com=20
 href=3D"mailto:meteorite-list_at_meteoritecentral.com">Meteorite Mailing =
List</A>=20
 </DIV>
 <DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial">Sent: Wednesday, November 12, =
2003 8:44=20
 AM</DIV>
 <DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial">Subject: [meteorite-list] 'Paul =
Revere'=20
 Scientist Suggests Unusual Asteroid Warning System</DIV>
 <DIV> </DIV> <A=20
 =
href=3D"http://www.jewishworldreview.com/1103/asteroid_warning_system.asp=
">http://www.jewishworldreview.com/1103/asteroid_warning_system.asp</A><B=
R> 'Paul=20
 Revere' scientist suggests unusual asteroid warning system Jewish =
World=20
 Review November 2003 Just last month, a meteorite slammed =
into a=20
 village in eastern India. Eleven people were injured and two =
homes were=20
 destroyed by fire. Perhaps more unsettling, in 1908, a space =
rock=20
 screamed into Earth's atmosphere, exploding in the sky over a =
remote=20
 Siberian forest with a force greater than a 10-megaton nuclear=20
 blast. Fires started, wildlife perished and trees fell for =
miles in=20
 every direction. These days, efforts underway to detect =
comets and=20
 asteroids on a potential collision course with Earth include an=20
 unassuming scientist from Ridgewood, N.J., with an idea for a =
better=20
 method. William A. Hoffman III doesn't have a company, or =
investors=20
 for his detection system, called "Looking out for you." But =
he received=20
 a patent (U.S. No. 6,452,538), and some distinguished astronomers =
say his=20
 idea is intriguing. Hoffman wants to place telescopes on the=20
 outer-space side of telecommunications satellites where they can=20
 continuously scan the heavens, free from cloud cover that often =
hampers=20
 earthbound telescopes, to look for what astronomers call NEOs, or=20
 Near Earth Objects. The data would beam down to a ground =
station and=20
 be sent - for a fee - to schools or institutions or individuals who =
could=20
 use it to pinpoint the rocks' orbit. "I can't speak for =
NASA, but=20
 personally I think it's a great idea if he can make it work," said =
Dan=20
 Mazenek, an aerospace engineer based at NASA's Langley Research =
Center and=20
 director of a study on how best to search for large comets and =
asteroids=20
 that might strike Earth. "If he can get the money to put =
telescopes up=20
 there then I'm interested in the results," said Lucy=20
 McFadden. McFadden was one of thirteen scientists and =
researchers who=20
 signed an open letter to Congress in July warning of the threat =
from space=20
 and urging the government to invest in some kind of system to help =
guard=20
 against a significant hit. Hoffman is an unimposing man with a =
polite,=20
 professorial manner who acknowledges with good humor that many =
people might=20
 find his idea sort of, well, pie in the sky. And he's also =
realistic enough=20
 to know he'll have to make a lot of noise to get any=20
 investors interested. "If I have to fund it myself it's not =
going to=20
 happen at all," he said. He believes colleges and universities =
without=20
 an astronomy program might be willing to pay for the telescope=20
 data. And individuals could access it via the Internet, where=20
 subscription fees and advertising might bring in =
revenue. "There are=20
 lots and lots of people that would buy into the idea of helping =
protect=20
 the Earth by signing onto a program like this," said Kelly Beatty,=20
 executive editor of Sky & Telescope magazine. Whether they =
would pay=20
 for the privilege is another question, he added. Beatty and =
others=20
 also raised numerous questions about technical aspects of=20
 Hoffman's idea. Would the telecommunications companies that =
own the=20
 satellites agree to the plan? Would cosmic rays interfere with =
the=20
 images? How exactly would the raw data be processed into =
pictures of=20
 the heavens? And perhaps the biggest issue: cost. "We =
always=20
 ask, could this be accomplished from the ground?" said Neil =
deGrasse Tyson,=20
 an astrophysicist and director of the Hayden Planetarium at the=20
 American Museum of Natural History. He was skeptical of Hoffman's =
plan, he=20
 said, because "it's more expensive to do anything in =
space." But=20
 Tyson, who also signed the July letter to Congress, agreed there was a =
need to=20
 get something in place to identify dangerous space =
rocks. "There is=20
 no organized effort to monitor the sky continuously," he =
said. Hoffman,=20
 a graduate of Wayne High School who attended the Air Force Academy=20
 and received his doctorate in organic chemistry from Stevens =
Institute,=20
 acknowledged the challenges but welcomed any scrutiny. "The =
more=20
 people that start paying attention to this idea, the more likely it's =
all=20
 going to work," said Hoffman, who spent his career working for a =
number of=20
 chemical companies including Union Carbide before becoming a =
chemical=20
 industry consultant. Hoffman said the beauty of his early =
warning=20
 system is its relatively low cost. He estimates putting the =
first=20
 telescope up might fall in the range of $2 million to $3 million, =
much of=20
 which would pay for the extensive testing needed to make sure=20
 the piggybacked telescope wouldn't interfere with the satellite's =
primary=20
 job of sending phone or TV signals down to earth. The =
communications=20
 satellites are perfect, he said, because they are =
geo-stationary. That is,=20
 they stay in one spot, moving as the earth moves so the telescopes =
would=20
 be positioned around the planet and could watch wide areas of=20
 space. "You're watching all the time; you're seeing a movie of =
the=20
 stars," said Hoffman. As for actually seeing his dream become =
real,=20
 Hoffman acknowledges many hurdles. "Somebody's got to agree =
that it can=20
 go on their satellite and somebody's going to be involved in the =
collection=20
 and distribution of the data," he said. Several satellite =
operators,=20
 including PanAmSat and Loral Skynet, couldn't find anyone to =
comment on=20
 Hoffman's plan. Hoffman said he approached a number of large=20
 corporations, including Disney, Time Warner, and Kodak, to gauge =
their=20
 interest. The corporate interest hasn't exactly been high, he =
admits,=20
 although he's contacting some companies again in light of the =
scientists'=20
 July letter to Congress. The 58-year-old amateur astronomer =
also said=20
 that although he'd enjoy reaping financial benefits from his =
project, he=20
 wouldn't mind if the government paid him something nominal for his =
patent=20
 if they promised to put the system in place. Astronomers point =
to the=20
 1994 collision of the comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 with Jupiter as an =
example of=20
 the force and devastation that can occur when one of a swarm of =
comets and=20
 asteroids in our solar system slams into a planet. The massive =
blast=20
 created a dust cloud larger than Earth itself. "You don't want =
to say=20
 `Gee, we missed that one,'" said Hoffman. =20
 =
 ______________________________________________ Meteorite-list =

 mailing list <A=20
 =
href=3D"mailto:Meteorite-list_at_meteoritecentral.com">Meteorite-list@meteor=
itecentral.com</A> <A=20
 =
href=3D"http://www.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list">http://w=
ww.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list</A> </BLOCKQUOTE></BOD=
Y></HTML>

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