Re: “NASA is hiding crucial details about asteroids that could THREATEN Earth, warns senior SETI Institute astronomer”

On 12/15/2024 3:12 AM, Charles Packer wrote:

On Sat, 14 Dec 2024 23:35:19 +0100, D wrote:
 

On Sat, 14 Dec 2024, Cryptoengineer wrote:
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On 12/14/2024 4:37 PM, Bobbie Sellers wrote:

On 12/14/24 09:54, Cryptoengineer wrote:

On 12/14/2024 12:31 AM, Lynn McGuire wrote:

“NASA is hiding crucial details about asteroids that could THREATEN
Earth, warns senior SETI Institute astronomer”
>
https://www.naturalnews.com/2024-12-12-nasa-hiding-details-about-
asteroids-threatening-earth.html
>
“On Dec. 3, the small asteroid COWECP5 streaked into Earth's
atmosphere and exploded in a fiery display above Siberia. While the
event was dramatic, it was ultimately harmless because the space
rock was only 70 centimeters across and disintegrated before it
could cause any damage.”
>
"If the asteroid had been larger, it could have caused significant
damage on the ground. And if it had been a true "city killer," like
the 400-meter-wide asteroid that astronomers feared would hit Earth
on Christmas Day in 2004, seven hours would not have been enough
time to evacuate millions of people or devise a defense strategy."
>
...
Um, 400 meter diameter is a quarter mile diameter.   That would have
left a big mark somewhere.

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NASA isn't 'hiding' a damn thing. This is just another example of the
crap style of 'journalism' found on the internet - the success of a
journalist is measured by how clickworthy the title is.
>
pt

>
      100 years back we did not worry about asteroid impacts
and we should not worry about it now. Either we get a very bad one  or
a survivable one.  Can we prevent it yet?  I think we fall a bit short
there yet but maybe soon in the meantime we have lots of stuff to
worry about and to act upon like Global overheating and the endless
wars of the hyper- acquisitive.That is what billionaires have the
lobes for.

>
The DART mission in 2021 demonstrated a substantial redirection of a
160 meter asteroid.
>
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double_Asteroid_Redirection_Test#
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So, yes, we *can* do something about it.
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pt
>
>

Let's take a page from the Enchiridion. Worry about what you can
control, and leave the rest. So for all of us who are not rocket
engineers, or responsible for NASAs budget, we can just peacefully get
on with our work.
=)

 ...And wonder about the complete fiction of the statement in
the article referring to "the 400-meter-wide asteroid that astronomers
feared would hit Earth on Christmas Day in 2004."

I was curious about that as well - the author of the article seemed
pretty ignorant of the field.
One of my pet peeves are the number of 'NASA says giant meteor in
close encounter with the Earth' stories in my feed. Almost invariably,
they turn out to be passing several times the distance to the moon.
pt