Astronomy & Space - February 2007

U.N. Urged to Take On Asteroid Threat
By Irene Klotz
Reuters
SAN FRANCISCO (Feb. 18) - An asteroid may come uncomfortably close to Earth in 2036 and the United Nations should assume responsibility for a space mission to deflect it, a group of astronauts, engineers and scientists said on Saturday.

Astronomers are monitoring an asteroid named Apophis, which has a 1 in 45,000 chance of striking Earth on April 13, 2036.

Although the odds of an impact by this particular asteroid are low, a recent congressional mandate for NASA to upgrade its tracking of near-Earth asteroids is expected to uncover hundreds, if not thousands of threatening space rocks in the near future, former astronaut Rusty Schweickart said.

"It's not just Apophis we're looking at. Every country is at risk. We need a set of general principles to deal with this issue," Schweickart, a member of the Apollo 9 crew that orbited the earth in March 1969, told an American Association for the Advancement of Science conference in San Francisco.

Schweickart plans to present an update next week to the U.N. Committee on Peaceful Uses of Outer Space on plans to develop a blueprint for a global response to an asteroid threat.

The Association of Space Explorers, a group of former astronauts and cosmonauts, intends to host a series of high-level workshops this year to flesh out the plan and will make a formal proposal to the U.N. in 2009, he said.

Schweickart wants to see the United Nations adopt procedures for assessing asteroid threats and deciding if and when to take action.

2007-02-18 15:24:36 · 16 answers · asked by marnefirstinfantry 5

willing to spend up to 1200-1400 depending on features (especially gps).

2007-02-18 15:17:40 · 4 answers · asked by advarky 1

So i was looking on the internet and one of the sources said that there is an asteroid heading toward us and there is a chance of it hitting us 2036 and then another says 2014 , being a person with alot of anxiety im scared out of my mind.. does anyone have any calming words.!! It also said that an asteroid hits the earth every 50 to 100 million years well about 50 million years ago the last one hit. I was just wondering if anyone had anymore information about this !!! or am i just freaking out way too much

2007-02-18 15:16:06 · 7 answers · asked by Anonymous

There are 2 opinions that I know of about the matter that black holes consume.
-It takes it somewhere else.
-The matter is crushed into non existence.

If the matter is crushed intio non existence then doesn't that mean that pieces of the universe are slowly being destroyed?

2007-02-18 14:53:55 · 9 answers · asked by Anonymous

2007-02-18 14:43:44 · 9 answers · asked by steven m 1

2007-02-18 14:42:16 · 4 answers · asked by blake_hanson_2005 2

2007-02-18 14:35:52 · 7 answers · asked by brolyssj4_mzc 2

Possibly through the use of an internal GPS, (although normally they start at $2,000) for viewing in our galaxy. Any accesories recommended. -Thanks

2007-02-18 14:31:33 · 4 answers · asked by advarky 1

from dinosaurs and other creatures from Earth's distant past, but they have never dug up an alien space craft or anything that looks like an artifact from advanced technology. Doesn't this suggest that UFOs are, to use Richard Feynman's glib observation, "much more likely to be the known irrational behavior of terrestrial beings, rather than the unknown rational behaviour of extraterrestrial beings"?

In other words: yeah, considering the vastness of space, there is probably lots of other planets with life forms, but it seems unlikely any of those beings have ever set foot on this planet.

2007-02-18 14:20:08 · 13 answers · asked by Anonymous

2007-02-18 14:11:47 · 1 answers · asked by sir_kaz2003 1

aliens, aliens full attack human being. Alien invasion

2007-02-18 14:10:33 · 7 answers · asked by davidowhowhw 1

2007-02-18 13:46:16 · 3 answers · asked by Anonymous

I am interested in learning about the stars and would like to learn more.

2007-02-18 13:44:08 · 5 answers · asked by je m'appelle Serenity 6

because i am having problems i heard that stars orbit and sometimes change peoples behavior does anyone have any info on this subject sites anything

2007-02-18 13:21:16 · 6 answers · asked by ermaarthur@sbcglobal.net 3

seems like i remember hearing on the art bell coast to coast radio program about a guy who was going to be the 1st civilian astronaut. He had the technology and the nerve but was having trouble finding a plac from which to launch because the FFA was having a cow about it .

2007-02-18 12:44:39 · 8 answers · asked by molly 6

2007-02-18 12:31:55 · 17 answers · asked by sassy_395 4

2007-02-18 12:01:27 · 3 answers · asked by donodc 2

2007-02-18 11:57:11 · 9 answers · asked by steve h 2

Would it even be visible? What about from Vega?

2007-02-18 11:30:57 · 5 answers · asked by Gene Rocks! 5

Does anyone believe that there is life out there? I mean, who's to say that there isn't another Earth-like planet somewhere else? Scientists have proven that the galaxy is larger than anyone could ever even imagine...so why are we so quick to believe that there couldn't be life anywhere else just because there isn't any on Mars?

2007-02-18 11:13:42 · 10 answers · asked by featherstar1992 2

2007-02-18 11:13:29 · 7 answers · asked by easynow32778 2

why the world in miss today?

2007-02-18 11:04:10 · 4 answers · asked by salwa b 1

2007-02-18 10:50:08 · 6 answers · asked by Lost. at. Sea. 7

Also what they do when thier chimp friend gets out of control for some reason up in space. Tranquilizer Gun?

2007-02-18 10:19:58 · 8 answers · asked by Anonymous

I can't upload my picture, but here is a very rough example:

If the sun is 0, the earth 1 and the moon *



-----------0
-----------------1
----------------*
(--- there to hold my characters in place)
what phase is the moon in? 1st quarter, half, etc.? and which way : light/dark, so you see the left of the moon or dark/light, so you see the right of the moon? how do you figure these kind of problems out?

2007-02-18 09:43:32 · 7 answers · asked by Anonymous

2007-02-18 09:26:11 · 2 answers · asked by goring 6

2007-02-18 09:18:54 · 15 answers · asked by Anonymous

2007-02-18 09:12:22 · 8 answers · asked by Anonymous

Why can't NASA point the Hubble to the moon and show the world a flag planted on the moon surface, to dispel the rumors that the moon landings were fake? If Hubble, as NASA claims can see galaxies billions of lightyears away, the moon is so near we can in fact see it with our naked eyes. Hmmnn!!!

2007-02-18 08:56:28 · 19 answers · asked by dannyjcris523 1

has the earth ever received a transmission from another civilization in this universe?

2007-02-18 08:54:48 · 7 answers · asked by Anonymous