If we can figure how to send men to the moon safely, why can't we figure how to stop hurricanes from reaching

Question

There are thousands of miles to go before they reach us, and all we do is track them, why can't someone figure out how to destroy them?

Answer 1

Energy of hurricane: 10^18 Joules
Energy of Saturn V: 10^11 Joules

A hurricane therefore has the energy of one billion (1,000,000,000) Saturn V rockets.

And we get about 20 of those per year...

Answer 2

Why do you assume that getting men to the Moon and back is as easy as stopping a hurricane? The technologies, expertise, resources (not to mention the human will to get on and do it) are in no way the same. You are not comparing like with like.

I could ask "if we can build aircraft carriers, why can't we cure cancer?" or "if you can unwrap a chocolate bar blindfolded, why can't you pick up a submarine with your teeth?"

A better question would be "is there any technology in existence now or in the foreseeable future which might enable us to disrupt, divert or reduce the damage caused by hurricanes?"

The answer is - I doubt it. Hurricanes are immensely powerful and once they have reached full strength there's not a lot anyone can do to stop them that wouldn't require so much energy that we would probably just end up making the whole global warming/pollution thing worse.

The only possible way to deal with hurricanes would be to study how they are formed so we could recognise them in the very early stages and then disrupt them when they are a more manageable size, possibly by cloud seeding to make the energy disperse as rain.

The main problem would then be who would fund this huge operation, which would have to take place way out in the ocean where no one country could be regarded as responsible.

Answer 3

Because sending people into orbit requires far less energy than trying to manage all the energy in a hurricane.

Fiddling with them trying to alter their paths might lead to the mother of all lawsuits if a fiddled with hurricane made landfall and did damage.

Answer 4

We will figure it out someday. Currently we do not have a source of energy powerful enough to even consider stopping hurricanes. Better leave that to Capt. Piccard.

Answer 5

Going to the Moon is easy compared to changing the weather. At least the "prima facia" evidence says so. We have been to the Moon but never been able to change the weather, despite trying many different ways to do just that.

Answer 6

you cant stop mother nature. simple fact. you cant destory hurricanes because thier just made upn of clouds and winds. going to the moon was simple science campared to stoping mother nature

Answer 7

we can track them it's something. you at least get a few days of warning unlike a tornado when you get at best a few minutes, but normally less than that

Answer 8

TRANSPORTATION IS EASY, BUT STOPING A HURRICANE IS NOT