[meteorite-list] "Supergiant" Asteroid Impact

From: Meteorites USA <eric_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Mon, 11 May 2009 14:11:57 -0700
Message-ID: <4A08949D.2040309_at_meteoritesusa.com>

Increased discovery of NEOs (NEA) over time...

http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/stats/

This poses yet another not so obvious question. Can Moore's law (or
something similar) predict the rate of discovery based on the
technological advancement of the human species as a whole? Don't forget
to calculate population growth as well...

World & USA Population clock: http://www.census.gov/main/www/popclock.html

We are advancing as a species faster than ever before in the history of
human kind. 100 years ago it took months to travel across the world, and
we did not have TV, cell phones,and of course the internet. Today we can
travel to any place on the planet in less than 12 hours and access
information with the click of a mouse. We can talk to another human on
the opposite side of the world with little effort and see what's
happening LIVE in every continent via satellite communication.

As for exploration, before the next decade is out we might even put a
human being on Mars, and who knows what other scientific discoveries
will be made after that. We're living in a very exciting time. We're in
the midst of a superfast evolutionary change as a species.

Where are we going next?

Maybe nowhere if an asteroid slams into us...





Meteorites USA wrote:
>
> Article about a supergiant asteroid shutting down Mars's magnetic field.
>
> http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/05/090511-mars-asteroid.html
>
> This raises the question that seems to be getting bigger and bigger.
> What would such an impact do to Earth? Would we be wiped out by the
> impact, severe weather, nuclear winter, earthquakes, tsunamis or by
> the atmosphere withering away by the solar winds? Or would humans be
> able to survive underground in manufactured ecosystems capable of
> supporting life?
>
> What if a supergiant asteroid slammed our planet tomorrow? Who would
> be sequestered away deep in the safe rooms underground?
>
> The question is not whether we are prepared -as we are not- the
> question is simply when will we find a solution to this obvious
> hazard. We're finding more asteroids all the time. It's becoming more
> mainstream, and public awareness is growing. Eventually we will find
> one that is on a collision course with Earth.
>
> When taking into account the increased awareness, advances in
> technology, and population increasing over time, I would predict a
> major discovery in less than 5 years. Now, this is not to say that an
> asteroid will hit in 5 years, but at the rate of the increase of
> awareness the likelihood that an amateur astronomer or asteroid hunter
> will find something increases exponentially over time. Not to mention
> NASA's NEO Project and other governmental and educational asteroid
> hunting programs.
>
> We've all heard the phrase "It's not a matter of if, it's a matter of
> when." when describing the likelihood of an asteroid impacting Earth.
> Well I would say you have to believe that this increase in knowledge
> and discovery is directly related to the increase in technological
> advancement coupled with a population increase. As we are able to see
> more we will learn more faster.
>
Received on Mon 11 May 2009 05:11:57 PM PDT