Asteroid over Mediterranean could have caused nuclear war

[UglyCasanova]

Link

Just read about this and found it interesting. Amazing how blind we are to the threats posed by objects crossing the Earth's path. It is only a matter of time before something cataclysmic occurs.

 

[Brian Stirling]

Yes, in addition to the threat that an impact of an object from space might do we have to worry about the possibility that an air-burst or ground impact might precipitate a nuclear exchange.

We do need to do a better job of detecting these threats and to have a workable and tested counter-measure.


Brian

 

[GagHalfrunt]

We do need to do a better job of detecting these threats and to have a workable and tested counter-measure.

Ahhh, the dinosaurs thought the same thing and they lasted 150 million years. We'll find a way to make ourselves extinct long before an asteroid wipes up out.

 

[IronWing]

It's like astronomers are desperate to find themselves useful.

 

[ImpulsE69]

It's like astronomers are desperate to find themselves useful.

I think it is more of an ignorance is bliss thing. We've only recently started to worry about giant asteroids hitting us with any sort of regularity.

 

[Carson Dyle]

Link

Just read about this and found it interesting. Amazing how blind we are to the threats posed by objects crossing the Earth's path. It is only a matter of time before something cataclysmic occurs.

Blind, how? We track meteors for a reason. This one was estimated to be about 10 meters in diameter and did no harm.

 

[Jeff7]

It's like astronomers are desperate to find themselves useful.

Hollywood's right: You can never trust a scientist.

Blind, how? We track meteors for a reason. This one was estimated to be about 10 meters in diameter and did no harm.

This one didn't seem to give any advance warning. It did no harm because it didn't blow up over a populated area, and because it didn't make anyone freak out and respond forcefully to a perceived nuclear attack.

The airburst meteor over Chelyabinsk in 2013 was discovered right about when it was blowing apart in our atmosphere.


We've got a growing catalog of the larger and more reflective objects. There are still plenty out there that are not terribly large, and/or are covered in very dark material.

 

[Carson Dyle]

it didn't make anyone freak out and respond forcefully to a perceived nuclear attack.

A couple of third-world countries with nuclear weapons is an issue that has little to do with tracking meteors. Someone over there could spill their curry on a control panel and start a nuclear war.

 

[SsupernovaE]

Ahhh, the dinosaurs thought the same thing and they lasted 150 million years. We'll find a way to make ourselves extinct long before an asteroid wipes up out.

 

[CZroe]

Blind, how? We track meteors for a reason. This one was estimated to be about 10 meters in diameter and did no harm.

...except almost trigger a nuclear holocaust. Ignoring the possibility just because it didn't that particular time isn't smart.

 

[DrPizza]

Rate of discovery of asteroids:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJsUDcSc6hE

We're on the cusp of having the ability to prevent collisions of large asteroids with the Earth - provided we find them in time. The sooner we find them, the more likely we can avoid a collision.

 

[KeithTalent]

Haha, love it!

KT

 

[Newell Steamer]

Space has a limitless number of fast flying death. It is a good idea to track what we can. But, we won't detect everything.

Also, I am 99% sure we'll wipe ourselves out before anything from space can - we suck.

 

[Jeff7]

A couple of third-world countries with nuclear weapons is an issue that has little to do with tracking meteors. Someone over there could spill their curry on a control panel and start a nuclear war.

- If everyone's already jumpy as hell, an enormous explosion in the sky sure won't help things.
- It was another airburster that was discovered when it was exploding.
So we've got Tunguska in 1908, something in the Mediterranean in 2002, and Chelyabinsk in 2013. These things don't sound like they're all that uncommon; who knows how many others may have happened from 1908-2002.
We're playing it lucky by having 70% of the planet covered by water and thus uninhabitable.

If Tunguska had blown up over a city in Europe or China, we might have a different approach to asteroids than now, which is either "god will protect us" or "it probably won't happen, so I don't need to care."

The Solar System occasional takes potshots at us, with enough energy behind them to take out a city and potentially alter the planet's climate for awhile. Hell, Earth itself will do that sometimes.

Rate of discovery of asteroids:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJsUDcSc6hE

We're on the cusp of having the ability to prevent collisions of large asteroids with the Earth - provided we find them in time. The sooner we find them, the more likely we can avoid a collision.

The technological ability, yes.
The political capability? Well.....hopefully we have a few decades

"As best as we can interpret current law, the only way to deal with this asteroid is to wait until it hits, then do a full environmental and economic impact statement. With that information, we'll be able to determine if it's necessary to create a Department of Homeland Asteroid Defense."

"Oh, my mistake, this is expected to hit after my term is up. This is someone else's problem."


That, or "Can we redirect it so that it hits a specific location on Earth?" :\


I really do wonder how many dark objects are out there though, things that are entirely as dark as Iapetus' dark side and are thus difficult to detect.




.

 

[DrPizza]

I really do wonder how many dark objects are out there though, things that are entirely as dark as Iapetus' dark side and are thus difficult to detect..

Dark in the visible spectrum, but still emitting black body radiation - quite visible in the infrared spectrum. Hence on the video I linked, the much more rapid rate of discovery starting a few years ago.

 

[JamesV]

I think this story is kind of blown out of proportion.

We know the speeds of missile based weaponry, and know how to triangulate origins of moving things, so why would an obviously too fast, non Earth originating object 'almost' cause nuclear war?

Is Ernest manning the button?

 

[Carson Dyle]

I think this story is kind of blown out of proportion.

We know the speeds of missile based weaponry, and know how to triangulate origins of moving things, so why would an obviously too fast, non Earth originating object 'almost' cause nuclear war?

Is Ernest manning the button?

Because some American General claimed that it *might* happen... That's all you really need to know about that.

 

[Jeff7]

Dark in the visible spectrum, but still emitting black body radiation - quite visible in the infrared spectrum. Hence on the video I linked, the much more rapid rate of discovery starting a few years ago.

Good point.
(Even so, the more rapid rate of discovery could have just been due to more optical scanners at work - was my initial thought.)

Given the relatively low funding that this sort of thing gets, I didn't know that they'd have adequately-sensitive IR telescopes looking for these things. Good that they do.

I think this story is kind of blown out of proportion.

We know the speeds of missile based weaponry, and know how to triangulate origins of moving things, so why would an obviously too fast, non Earth originating object 'almost' cause nuclear war?

Is Ernest manning the button?

"Oh shit, that was a really big explosion!"

"Well now hold on, let's check with the computer models and be really gosh darn sure that it wasn't something else. I'd sure have egg on my face if I fired a missile and then this here explosion turned out to be some silly asteroid or something!"

 

[Gibsons]

I really do wonder how many dark objects are out there though, things that are entirely as dark as Iapetus' dark side and are thus difficult to detect.

So... just how powerful of a radar would we need to detect something like this at a useful distance? iirc the most powerful built thus far are in the megawatt range, for detecting across the Earth, basically. We'd need... terawatts?

 

[angminas]

 

[Paratus]

Asteroids? I thought it was something else?

 

[MongGrel]

Kinda old news, someone did a documentary about something similar during a NATO training exersize I guess during the cold war.

Come to think of it that wasn't even asteroids, I believe was just atmospheric conditions and reflected light off the ocean, that were setting off Soviet early detection systems.

 

[KeithP]

...except almost trigger a nuclear holocaust. Ignoring the possibility just because it didn't that particular time isn't smart.

Except it didn't "almost" trigger a nuclear holocaust. I would suggest rereading what was written. Then do the math on the odds that a NEO impacts earth at just the right spot during which two nuclear powers are getting a bit pissy.

Just another money play. We need funding...blah blah blah.

-KeithP