Recent comments in /f/space

could_use_a_snack t1_jakk1b5 wrote

Reply to comment by CptHammer_ in NASA’s DART data validates kinetic impact as planetary defense method | DART altered the orbit of the asteroid moonlet Dimorphos by 33 minutes by mepper

>Done, now put your money where your mouth is.

My entire comment is basically doing this. I encourage the spending on scientific research and contribute to it when I can.

>Or answer this question: what's the best case scenario you can imagine that this research will help Earth?

We need to know what effect we can have on a dangerous asteroid. The only way is to run some tests to see. So the best case scenario is that we have the data available to make a correction to the orbit of such an object if we need to.

And before you ask "what's the chances of needing to" I'll compare it to having a fire extinguisher on hand in my house, even though most households never have a fire. I'd like to be prepared.

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AlexDKZ t1_jak3rjd wrote

Reply to comment by CptHammer_ in NASA’s DART data validates kinetic impact as planetary defense method | DART altered the orbit of the asteroid moonlet Dimorphos by 33 minutes by mepper

>From where I sit this planet has survived far worse than an asteroid impact.

An asterod impact caused one out of the five major extinction events in earth's history, and are suspected in other three. I'd say, they rank pretty damn high in the "what could go wrong" scale.

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monster2018 t1_jak2bf9 wrote

Reply to comment by could_use_a_snack in NASA’s DART data validates kinetic impact as planetary defense method | DART altered the orbit of the asteroid moonlet Dimorphos by 33 minutes by mepper

Also you can list the many dozens of technologies that wouldn’t exist without space exploration that do address everyday problems on earth. You can look it up and it’s mind blowing how many different on earth technologies originate from solving challenges for space.

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CptHammer_ t1_jajvfc9 wrote

Reply to comment by could_use_a_snack in NASA’s DART data validates kinetic impact as planetary defense method | DART altered the orbit of the asteroid moonlet Dimorphos by 33 minutes by mepper

>Do you like professional sports?

Nope

>All the money paid to pro athletes should be used for real problems.

Agreed

>Do you enjoy a morning cup of coffee?

Nope

>All that money should be used for real problems.

Some of that money is already solving real problems.

>How much do you spend on alcohol? How about your lawn? I could go on.

Zero, zero, please do.

>If you aren't willing to give up these basically useless things, why should I be willing to give up on the advancement of science.

Done, now put your money where your mouth is.

Or answer this question: what's the best case scenario you can imagine that this research will help Earth?

From where I sit this planet has survived far worse than an asteroid impact. Any argument for continuing to waste money deflecting astroids is akin to watching drug dealers pimping their ride and saying to yourself, "welp, they could be out there selling drugs instead of investing in a clean hobby." Of course, neither is productive unless you're the car parts salesman.

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rocketsocks t1_jajul22 wrote

Reply to comment by Starks in NASA’s DART data validates kinetic impact as planetary defense method | DART altered the orbit of the asteroid moonlet Dimorphos by 33 minutes by mepper

It scales up to some degree. There are lots of different kinds of asteroids which might be a threat to Earth. The DART data represents the first entry in a spreadsheet which might be filled out well enough to start having confidence in one way to divert rubble pile asteroids.

What that could look like eventually in a hypothetical practical application would be a medium sized asteroid that was a threat many years (hopefully decades or centuries) into the future and a series of impactor vehicles being sent to apply a sufficient set of nudges to divert it away from the impact scenario. Realistically anything like that would be part of a family of systems with different operational characteristics to handle different bodies of different scales of threat over different timelines.

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