Asteroid-Targeting System Could Vaporize Dangerous Space Rocks
Hopefully this is a wake up call!
A meteor explosion over Russia injured hundreds of people today (Feb. 15), just hours before an asteroid about half the size of a football field will give the Earth an extremely close shave, catapulting the need to protect our home planet from hazardous space rocks into the spotlight.
The two unrelated events raise questions about our preparedness for dangerous encounters with asteroids, and by sheer coincidence one group of scientists has just unveiled plans for a novel system to vaporize asteroids in space that threaten Earth.
"We have to come to grips with discussing these issues in a logical and rational way," UC Santa Barbara physicist Philip M. Lubin said in a statement Thursday (Feb. 14), the day before the Russian meteor explosion. "We need to be proactive rather than reactive in dealing with threats. Duck and cover is not an option. We can actually do something about it and it's credible to do something. So let's begin along this path. Let's start small and work our way up. There is no need to break the bank to start."
http://www.space.com/19812-asteroid-targeting-vaporize-space-rocks.html ---------- Mike
Last Edited by mike619 on Feb 15, 2013 10:35 AM
