New Asteroid Becomes Earth's Biggest Threat

inexion wrote to mention a story on PhysOrg stating that we're all doomed. "A space rock capable of sub-continent scale devastation has about a one in 1,000 risk of colliding with Earth early next century, the highest of any known asteroid, watchers said on Thursday. The rock, 2004 VD17, is about 500 metres (yards) long and has a mass of nearly a billion tonnes, which -- if it were to impact -- would deliver 10,000 megatonnes of energy, equivalent to all the world's nuclear weapons. Spotted on November 27 2004, VD 17 was swiftly identified as rock that potentially crossed Earth's orbit, with a 1 in 3,000 risk of collision on May 4 2102."

So what do we do about this?

[Kasracer]

I'm sure everyone has seen the movie Armageddon. Is drilling even an option in real life? Should we fire some nuclear warheads at it to try and change it's path?

I don't know much about the science of this but I have always been very interested in what we would do about this. I saw on the Discovery channel a long time ago that we could do something like shooting a laser at it to try and break it apart as well as some solar sails. They also mentioned placing some rockets on an astroid and moving it.

Now I'll be dead by the time this thing gets close enough. Should we just assume we'll have better technology then and fire some photon torpedos at it?

Oh No!!!

[Jumbo Jimbo]

The rock, 2004 VD17, is about 500 metres (yards)

Oh no!! Earth is going to be destroyed by VD!! Blame the damn liberals!!

Re:500 Meters = 500 Yards??

[cbelt3]

And so NOW how do you feel about our ability to calculate probability ?

"NASA Scientists reveal same computer used for ill-fated Mars Orbiter now used to compute asteroid orbits. Announces probability of collision with Earth to be 'like, maybe, we dunno. Kilometers, miles, who the hell understands all this metric crap anyway ? Please just increase our budget and we'll stop trying to scare you !"

HURRY!

[Compulawyer]

We only have 96 years to save ourselves!

FSP!

[qmaqdk]

Forty seventh post!

How is this a "new" asteriod?

[bobcat7677]

I thought these asteroid things had been roaming the glaxaly for thousands of years? Even if they meant to say "newly discovered", that still isn't quite right. The thing has been being tracked for over a year now.

Anyway, it says the impact wouldn't happen till 2102. I plan to be quite dead by that date from normal causes so it's not my problem:P

May I be the first to wish everyone...

[spot35]

...around on the day it hits -

"May the 4th be with you"

Re:Numbers And Pictures

[Anonymous Coward]

It's OK. I put in the year 2200 and it was still there. If it had hit the Earth in 2100s, it wouldn't still have an orbit, right?

Re:Government defines 15 months as "swift"?

[mooingyak]

Post a comment to slashdot.

where will it land?

[davez0r]

if it crashes into the ocean, we already have trained sharks that can cut it up with laser beams. and the earth's surface is like 70% water, so i think we're safe.

Re:A clever plot

[WillAffleckUW]

What we need is a video game that'll teach kids to violently beat sharks to death, mind powers or not. Only then will our future be safe!

But they may need training in dodging lasers first. Some of those sharks have frickin' lasers on their foreheads, and may be ill-tempered.

Re:Proposal

[aborchers]

"Let's drill out every bit of oil and dig up every bit of coal and force feed the economy into olympic level steriod consumption. We'll revoke all the anti-pollution laws. We'll ignore global warming, planing to use the newly generated riches to get off the planet just before the asteriod wipes this shithole out."

PROOF CONCLUSIVE THAT GEORGE W BUSH POSTS ON SLASHDOT!!!