OK, Here is the scenario:
- A group of scientists get together and reach a consensus
- There is an impending threat to the Earth
- Although the chances are small (slim) should this occur all life on Earth will be destroyed
- The planet and its environment would be ruined.
- They are asking to United Nations to take charge and lead the effort to save us.
Global Warming?? Not quite.
Asteroid Impact! There is a 1 in 45,000 chance that the asteroid Apophis may impact the Earth in 2036 so a group of scientists and engineers are calling for the UN to take charge and lead the effort to draft a plan to make sure that this does not happen. Based on what we have seen with Oil for Food, Raping of children in Africa and IPCC political summaries that do not match the science behind them, it seems to me that the UN cannot lead itself out of a paper bag.
There are only 4 entities that have mastered space travel: The US, Russia, The European Space Agency and China. These 4 countries alone should draft a plan to assess the danger
, develop an action plan to counter it and act upon it. All the UN will do is tax us to pay for some lofty ideal that never materializes.
Pravda reports:
Asteroid MN4 otherwise known as Apophis has been designated the most dangerous heavenly body of the century
We basically have two options, destroy the object or nudge it to the side. The big concern with blowing it up is that some of the debris would still head down towards us and, if it is large enough, cause substantial destruction on Earth. Small pieces would burn up in the atmosphere but larger pieces would impact the planet. If any of those pieces should hit in an urban area significant damage and deaths could result.
But we have to keep in mind that the chances of an impact are 1 in 45,000. We should, however, have a hell of a light show. Apophis crosses the Earth's orbit twice every year. In 2036, it may pass close enough to knock out a few communication satellites. That is within the orbit of the moon. We should all get a great view as the asteroid hopefully then continues on never to be heard from again.
StikNstein is also discussing this one
The European comet chaser Rosetta will do a fly-by around Mars Sunday to get a gravity boost on its way to the comet Churyumov Gerasimenko. The 10 year trip includes a total of three gravity boosts from Earth and one from Mars before the craft catches up to and matches orbit with the comet. Then in 2014 it will release a lander in the first attempted controlled landing on a comet.
